Push to let permanent residents vote in municipal elections passes
City's decision to lobby the province criticized as `futile' by one councillor
A Calgary councillor's push to allow permanent residents to vote in municipal elections was approved by council on Tuesday.
But while the motion passed in a 9-6 vote, one councillor called the decision to lobby the province to make the change an “exercise in futility,” considering a UCP minister has flatly stated the government has no interest in the move.
While city council does not have the power to extend voting rights, it will forward a resolution to AB Munis' next annual conference in September as an advocacy item. If it has support there, AB Munis (which advocates on behalf of 265 member municipalities to the province) would lobby the government to amend the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA) to expand voter eligibility to include individuals who are not Canadian citizens but have been granted permanent resident status.
Currently, Section 47 of the LAEA states that to participate in municipal elections, voters must be at least 18 years old, a Canadian citizen and reside permanently in Alberta.
Ward 8 Coun. Courtney Walcott, who introduced the motion Tuesday, said permanent residents deserve the right to vote in municipal elections considering many pay property taxes, use city services and contribute to the vitality of the municipality.
He said the motion is strictly focused on municipal elections and the LAEA, and does not seek to amend provincial or federal voting rights.
“The big question is what do we do here?” Walcott said.
“When you're thinking about what a province does and what a federal government does, there are a lot of reasons as to why you would want to limit the voting rights at that level to a particular citizenship. But at the local level, what do we do? We create community.”
Councillors Dan Mclean, Jennifer Wyness, Sean Chu, Peter Demong, Sonya Sharp and Andre Chabot voted against the motion.
A common theme among the opposing councillors was that achieving the right to vote is an incentive for permanent residents to pursue citizenship. Sharp said her mother was a permanent resident for 30 years and was incredibly proud when she was finally able to vote.
Wyness noted that Alberta Municipal Affairs Minister Ric Mciver has already waded into the debate by stating the province will not entertain amending the LAEA to extend voting rights.
She also asked Walcott to explain how the extension of voting rights would avoid creating a “tiered system” in municipal government, as allowing non-citizens the right to vote would also grant them the ability to run for office.
“Does that mean if anyone pays any tax in Calgary, such as the tourist tax, they get to vote?” she asked. “It's an interesting argument, but we have to (ask), where is the threshold?”
Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot agreed with Wyness, calling the proposal an “exercise in futility,” considering Mciver's earlier statement.
Ward 11 Coun. Kourtney Penner said permanent residents technically are protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and noted that at one point, women were not allowed to vote.
She said the motion would start a conversation about “challenging the status quo.”
“If we're afraid to have a conversation about how things could change, that's more worrisome to me than any potential outcome,” she said.
Walcott said taxation without representation was one of the fundamental arguments around the creation of North American countries. He also referenced the ongoing public hearing around blanket rezoning, adding that last week, councillors listened to perspectives from both citizens and non-citizens on the matter.
“This is a conversation around, are we going to talk about our values, about who we represent,” he said.