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New Rules Could Make it Tougher for Canadian Expats to Vote

Government say regulations will prevent 'riding shopping.'

Jeremy Nuttall 13 Dec 2014TheTyee.ca

Jeremy J. Nuttall is The Tyee's Parliament Hill reporter in Ottawa. Find his previous stories here.

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The federal government should encourage more Canadians living abroad to vote in federal elections, says a representative of Hong Kong's Canadian community.

Reached in Hong Kong by phone, Andrew Work, president of the 65-year-old Canadian Club, said Canadians living abroad should be treated as a valued part of the nation's makeup.

Work was responding to new voting regulations for expatriate Canadians. The changes are contained in the Citizen Voting Act, which will require Canadians abroad to provide proof of their last place of residence in Canada in order to vote.

The legislation, tabled Wednesday, says voters must provide proof of identity, citizenship and documentation with a street address of the voter's last residence in Canada to prove the person has lived in the riding in which he or she wishes to vote.

The Conservatives said in a release the changes would put an end to ''riding shopping'' where expats can pick which riding to vote.

But critics say the new rules will make it harder for Canadians abroad to vote because it may be difficult for expats to locate the documentation to prove their last place of residence in Canada.

Work is from Victoria and has lived in Hong Kong for the last 18 years. During his time there, he has been involved with organizations like the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

According to a release from the government, the law is in response to an Ontario court decision in May of this year that struck down a 21-year–old federal law that said Canadians who have lived abroad more than five years cannot vote.

More Canadians eligible to vote

The government argues that the changes will make more Canadians eligible to vote because those who have lived abroad for more than five years will now be able to vote.

''Estimates show that this could lead to 1.4 million new eligible voters,'' the statement said.

Work said Canadians abroad already have a low voter turnout. To remedy this, the federal government should try to bring in more voters by publicizing Canada's federal elections around the globe. The Australian government does this, Work said.

''It's like a carnival, they make a big deal about it,'' he said. ''They encourage Australians to vote and essentially be part of their nation and they're proud of it.''

Expatriate communities abroad are competitive by nature, Work said. Given that, he predicts, a rivalry between Canada and Australians could emerge to see who loves their respective country more by getting out the most voters.

Work said Canadians abroad, many of whom are building ties with other nations and promoting Canada -- which leads to business and trade -- should be encouraged to vote. He argued that expat Canadians should even have their own seat in parliament. He said Italy has a member of government elected by Italians in Canada who represents them in the country's parliament.

New rules tinged by politics

Duff Conacher who is the founder of government watchdog group, Democracy Watch, and a member of the University of Toronto's law faculty, said the act isn't about improving Canada's voter turn out. It's more about politics.

Conacher said the legislation is about the Conservatives trying to look tough on so-called 'Canadians of convenience' who live abroad for years and only come back when services are needed.

He said the requirements for identification, particularly the demand that voters provide the last address in Canada, could be a problem.

According to Conacher, if a snap election is called, Elections Canada would probably not have the ability to obtain information from Canadians abroad who haven't had time to register, process it and send back their ballots in time to vote.

''On those ground the courts will say that's an unreasonable limit,'' Conacher said.

But Gabrielle Renaud-Mattey, director of communications for Canada's Minister of State Pierre Poilievre said if people register ahead of time they should not have a problem obtaining a ballot in time.

''They have the same access,'' Renaud-Mattey said. ''The same rules apply to all Canadians now.''

The new legislation will end a double standard, she said, because Canadians at home must also provide photo identification with a street address.

Work said he doesn't see much of an issue with the proposed regulations, but noted that the real trouble is treating Canadians abroad with less respect because they live outside the country.

''There are piles of people like me that have this ongoing engagement with Canada who give a damn and feel strongly about the future of the country,'' Work said. ''Those are the people you want to engage.''

He hasn't been able to vote in years due to the 1993 law. Reaching out to those abroad could be a good thing for the country and he'd be happy to help raise the number of Canadians voting from far off places.

''If I was eligible, I'd vote in a heartbeat,'' Work said. ''There's a community out here that would vote. The Canadian Chamber would get behind it. The Canadian Club would get behind it. We'd promote it. We'd say 'Hey, it's your duty -- vote. ' ''  [Tyee]

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