Elections on the Way in Canada Mean a Platform for Immigrant Issues

CIC News
Published: March 1, 2007

Election campaigns provide an excellent opportunity for issues affecting immigrants to receive attention by public officials and the media. With a provincial election arriving in Quebec on the 26th of March and a federal election likely looming, the coming months should provide an open forum to discuss the issues and interests of immigrants in Canada.

As a nation built on immigration, Canadian politics have always provided an arena to discuss issues of immigration and settlement. While only Canadian citizens may vote in Canadian elections, the forum for discussion remains open to all. As politicians vie for votes in immigrant communities, they engage issues facing these communities, sometimes leading to innovative policy suggestions. In Toronto's municipal election campaign in the fall of 2006, Mayor David Miller suggested that Permanent Residents be extended the right to vote in municipal elections - a possibility currently being studied by the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs.

The Province of Quebec will be going to the polls on Monday March 26 th to elect a new provincial government. In a heated three-way race, the competition for votes is good news for immigrants, whose communities and votes (for those who are now Canadian citizens) will be courted by politicians. With approximately 45,000 new Canadian Permanent Residents making their homes in Quebec every year, immigrants are an important constituency deciding the makeup of the next government in Quebec. Under the Canada-Quebec Immigration Agreement, Quebec is able to establish its own requirements to select those who wish to immigrate to Quebec.

While no official date is in place for the next federal election, observers expect Prime Minister Stephen Harper to call a new election in the coming months. The current minority government formed by the Conservative Party of Canada has been in power since January of 2006. With evidence abound of preparations for a campaign to win an expected summer election, politicians from each of the major parties are seeking to make in-roads with immigrant communities, listening to their concerns and readying to respond with new election platforms. As Ontario, the destination for over half of new Permanent Residents, goes to the polls in October of this year, we can expect immigrant issues to gain significant attention in the public eye in 2007.

Share this article
Share your voice
Did you find this article helpful?
Thank you for your feedback.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Did you find this article helpful?
Please provide a response
Thank you for your helpful feedback
Please contact us if you would like to share additional feedback, have a question, or would like Canadian immigration assistance.
  • Do you need Canadian immigration assistance? Contact the Contact Cohen Immigration Law firm by completing our form
  • Send us your feedback or your non-legal assistance questions by emailing us at media@canadavisa.com
Related articles
October 2024: State of the Express Entry Pool
A group of people walking through a popular square in Canada.
IRCC reducing Spousal Open Work Permits by more than 100,000 over the next three years
Young couple working
IRCC announces tighter cap for study permits and changes to PGWP eligibility
Parliament Hill in Ottawa
Immigration minister signals big changes to permanent resident numbers in upcoming Levels Plan
A picture of the Canadian parliament building in the background, with flowers in the foreground.
Top Stories
IRCC to grant work permits to Yukon nominee candidates
IRCC releases program updates regarding Intra-Company Transferees
October 2024: State of the Express Entry Pool
Join our free newsletter. Get Canada's top immigration stories delivered to your inbox.
Subscribe
More in Express Entry
October 2024: State of the Express Entry Pool
A group of people walking through a popular square in Canada.
How many ITAs has Canada issued through Express Entry this year vs. last year?
A view of a mountain through fall leaves.
IRCC issues 4,000 ITAs to Canadian Experience Class candidates in latest Express Entry draw
A view of a river in Canada during a summer day, with kayaks and canoes making their way through.
IRCC issues 1,000 invitations to apply in latest Express Entry draw for French speakers
A scenic view of downtown Calgary during a summer sunset.
Link copied to clipboard