Bill To Allow Permanent Residents To Vote Proposed In N.B. Legislature
FREDERICTON – Asif Hasan, an entrepreneur who has been pushing for voting rights for landed immigrants, has lived in New Brunswick for eight years. But he’s not been able to vote in any government elections. That could change if a bill proposed by Liberal MLA Keith Chiasson becomes law.
Bill 28, proposed to the Legislature on Tuesday, seeks to amend the section of the Municipal Elections Act that outlines who is allowed to vote to include permanent residents of Canada.
Currently, only Canadian citizens are allowed to vote for the three levels of government.
Permanent residents or landed immigrants have been given permanent status, unlike international students and temporary foreign workers. But they’re not yet citizens of Canada.
Permanent residents live, work and pay taxes in the province. They also receive most health care coverage and most social benefits that citizens get. But they are not allowed to vote or run for political office and hold certain jobs that need a high-level security clearance.
There was once a time that they were allowed to vote in municipal elections in New Brunswick, but that right was removed when changes were made to the Municipal Elections Act in 1998.
As of last month, there are about 29,500 permanent residents in the province, according to the New Brunswick Multicultural Council (NBMC).
Hasan and many others like him want to at least be able to vote municipally.
“I and many other New Brunswickers who are permanent residents are contributing to the community socially, economically, and culturally,” Hasan said. “From a basic human rights perspective, I think everybody deserves to be heard and valued because they all want to belong here. So, let’s really speak the language by giving them the right to vote.”
“We need our voices to be heard for the policy that will be designed for us,” he added.
Hasan is the CEO and co-founder of SimpTek, a company that helps homeowners and electrical utilities better manage electricity consumption. He has created more than 25 jobs, and is active in his community through volunteering, among other things. This year, he was named a top 50 CEO in the region by Atlantic Business Magazine.
In September, he spearheaded the Lost Votes campaign through his involvement as a board member of non-profit Dialogue New Brunswick. That renewed efforts by NBMC and its current president Moncef Lakouas that started in 2014 to push for voting rights for permanent residents at the municipal level. They’ve since been working together to mobilize support for the cause.
“I want the people of New Brunswick to know that [permanent residents are] not taking away anything,” Hasan said. “This is allowing people to actually share their voice because they are part of the fabric. By definition, they are permanent. They make a deliberate choice to remain within New Brunswick, just like me.”
An amendment proposed by Minister Daniel Allain to the Municipal Elections Act on December 8 reignited the discussion. Many community and business leaders called for a further amendment to allow permanent residents to vote in municipal elections.
Lakouas says it’s the “perfect timing” to address the issue as the government looks at amendments to the act.
“We would certainly appreciate if government decides to move on this topic quickly and makes it a legislative topic for the next elections in May. But we certainly understand that there could be technicalities that may take some time.”
Lakouas, who was once a permanent resident, said NBMC will work with the government’s timeline, but it’s important that the issue become a priority for the province that seeks to attract tens of thousands more new immigrants.
“You send your kids to school, you buy a house, you pay your taxes, you start a business, you hire people, you get hired, you pay HST, GST…but when it’s time to be part of that process that concerns you as a neighbour, you’re not part of that discussion because of status,” he said. “This is their municipality, their town and their community as much as it is for anybody else. What we’re saying is civic duty or commitment to the prosperity of your community has nothing to do with your status.”
Hasan says if the change doesn’t happen before May, it’s important the discussion happens and the momentum continues because there are other elections and “every election matters.”
Attraction And Retention Strategy
The push to allow permanent residents to vote municipally and provincially has been going on for years in different parts of Canada, as they make up much of the immigrant community across the country.
Given the importance of population growth and retention through immigration, in 2017, an electoral reform commission under Premier Brian Gallant’s government made 23 recommendations that included allowing permanent residents to vote in municipal and provincial elections, as well as seek public office. But those recommendations were not adopted.
With the push now revived, it’s gaining momentum.
TechImpact, the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, and 3+ Corporation are among business organizations that have expressed support.
Cities of New Brunswick Association, which includes Moncton, Dieppe, Saint John, Fredericton, Bathurst, Edmundston, Campbellton, and Miramichi, has also sent a letter to the Premier to express support.
Alex Scholten, the president of the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick, said the “general consensus” among its 61 members is that “this is something that we should support.”
“We’re discussing it with our members,” he said. “We’re going to try to get our resolutions committee together to come up with something right away.”
Scholten said as New Brunswick attracts immigrants to help offset challenges caused by an aging population, it’s only fair that they’re given rights to vote municipally.
“I think it’s very disingenuous if you said welcome, welcome, and then when you get here, thank you very much. You get to pay taxes. But we’re not going to give you the right to vote because you’re not a citizen yet.” he said. “We are asking them to come here and those newcomers are putting their trust in us to start their lives here to bring their business expertise, bring their financial capabilities here to support us, we should do the same back to them.”
Lakouas said immigration is a federal jurisdiction that “happens at a local level.”
“Those who are affected by immigration on a daily basis are municipalities and we want to enable them to have more flexibility and freedom to talk about immigration in a way that suits their communities,” he said.
Lakouas believes allowing permanent residents to vote will help with retention.
According to data from New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training at UNB, only 50 percent of permanent residents gained through the Provincial Nominee Program stay after five years, a drop from 75 percent in the first year.
The Provincial Nominee Program enables New Brunswick to sponsor and fast-track immigration applications for federal approval. It has brought in skilled workers and entrepreneurs along with their families.
If the bill becomes law, New Brunswick will be the first province in Canada to allow permanent residents to vote at the municipal level. Lakouas said this would signal to immigrants that they’re treated equally in the province, thus adding another attractive point.
Why Not Become A Canadian Citizen?
Hasan says there are many factors that prevent people from having their Canadian citizenship, even if they’re fully invested in the community.
He is looking into applying for citizenship, but he’ll still have a long process to go through before he’ll be allowed to vote.
The Canadian government requires permanent residents to live in the country for three out of the last five years, or 1,095 days, before they’re eligible to apply. Hasan got his permanent residency status about three years ago, previously being an international student.
All sorts of immigration processes, including citizenship, has been delayed due to the pandemic. That means someone’s vote could be lost simply because a delay in the system caused them to receive their citizenship documents later, Hasan said.
Saint John-based entrepreneur Bernadette Fernandes, who immigrated to Canada as a child with her parents, wants to vote in her city. She hasn’t applied for citizenship despite having lived in Canada for decades because of the inequality in the process, she said.
“A lot of people couldn’t afford the cost,” said Fernandes. “That’s so prohibitive to so many people that I started taking a stand in solidarity with those people that could not apply. Like my parents probably could never have studied and written for the test.”
“There are many people like my mother. She does speak English, but her reading and comprehension are not great. So I just felt like the process wasn’t a fair process accessible by all,” she added, saying her parents were granted citizenship when they turned 75.
To obtain Canadian citizenship, applicants 55 and under have to take a test about the country’s history, geography, economy, government, laws and symbols.
The application process costs $630, before any costs associated with travel for testing and gathering necessary documents. Additionally, an applicant may have to take language testing to prove proficiency. The cost for a Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program is approximately $320 including tax.
Fernandes also wants to stand in solidarity with those who aren’t allowed dual citizenship. While Canada allows multiple citizenships, many immigrants come from countries like China and India, which doesn’t allow more than one citizenship. Yet, forcing someone to give that up to obtain Canadian citizenship is like giving up a large part of your identity, said Fernandes.
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