I won’t be able to vote in our federal election… and neither will tens of thousands other Canadians!
We are citizens who happen to be away from home, traveling, overseas, or in the United States.
Probably more than 100,000 Canadians are away from home internationally at any one time, on the road by car, on bus tours, flying around on long-planned vacations or business trips, or, in my case and thousands of others , on a cruise… all of us with no way to get an “absentee” ballot, as offered by Elections Canada in its much-promoted propaganda advertising.
And unlike so many other truly democratic and modern countries, Canada does not let expatriate Canadians show up at an embassy or consulate anywhere in the world to cast their ballots by showing their passports or other validating documents.
I know that because I approached Elections Canada and told them I will be at sea during almost the entire election campaign, BUT was hoping to vote at a port stop in San Francisco on April 27.
After all, many other countries allow their citizens travelling throughout the world to do just that!
In fact, some countries will even allow eligible voters to designate a proxy back home to vote on their behalf, or will even email them a ballot kit, which can be returned and, once verified, included in the tally … as long as it is postmarked before election voting closes.
That’s the civilized way in 2025 to promote public participation in the voting process.
But not Canada.
Elections Canada’s reply suggested that I could get perhaps a ballot mailed to me in care of a consulate where I would be able to stop by… if I made a private arrangement with that consulate to allow that, but with even the list of candidates finalized only days ago, that would clearly be impossible.
And then there’s another catch …
The mailed return ballot must be RECEIVED in Ottawa by. 6 pm on Election Day!!
Not just postmarked!!! RECEIVED!
Anyone who has travelled outside of Canada knows that it is also virtually impossible to receive mail from anywhere in Canada by Canada Post … and have it returned and arrive in such a short time frame.
In fact, two months ago, I mailed a get well card from Florida to a friend in Vancouver, who had been hospitalized: it took almost 2 weeks for that card to arrive!
Election Canada’s rules and restrictions , in practical terms, disenfranchise far too many, even in a regularly scheduled election.
And in a “snap” election, the “absentee” ballot option is farcical!
Who knows how many tens of thousands of Canadians are being denied their right to vote in this election!
And if this results are close, especially in some hotly contested ridings, those missed ballots could make a difference!
It’s about time, whichever government is elected, initiates a Parliamentary move to have Canada‘s election laws and rules modernized… so that every Canadian can vote at a Canadian embassy or a consulate, no matter where they are in the world!
Our democracy deserves it.
Harv Oberfeld
(Follow @harveyoberfeld.ca on “X” for FREE alerts to new blogs on this site.)