The minister has pre-empted the proposal to vote permanent residents of Calgary

Calgary City Council's proposal to extend municipal voting rights to permanent residents has been blocked by Alberta's Minister of Municipal Affairs.

The proposal will be introduced by councilors Walcott, Wong, Dhaliwal, Mian and Penner on Tuesday.

However, c An entry for X On Saturday, Minister Rick McIver said it would “save us all some time”.

“Only Canadian citizens can vote in municipal elections. This will not change,” he said.

The proposal calls for an amendment to the Local Government Elections Act, which defines who is eligible to vote in municipal elections.

Because municipalities depend on provincial legislation, the Alberta government had to decide whether to amend the Local Government Elections Act.

Councilors argued in their proposal that all levels of government make decisions that affect the daily lives of residents, regardless of their citizenship status.

“Municipalities are unique because they are the only governing order not defined by the constitution. The ability to extend the right to vote to more members of our local communities would be an important change to ensure that local communities are representative of the people who call them home,” the motion said.

Tuesday's procedure is to ensure the motion is recorded correctly, Wong told True North in an interview. The proposal will not be discussed until the next council meeting on April 30.

Wong said he wants to learn more about the pros and cons of the proposal, including its merits and demerits, and how it fits the criteria for federal and provincial voting rights.

“As municipalities, our responsibility extends to all who call our communities home, contribute to civic life, work here, raise families here and use city services to have the right to a democratic vote in our municipalities,” the proposal reads.

Wong said councilors are vetting their constituents, both citizens and permanent residents.

The perspectives offered varied. Some have argued that citizenship is an important criterion for voting.

“We asked people, 'We're new. We want to be citizens.' There are reasons for the delay whether it is in their hands or not. But they feel they want a voice in municipal governance because they are the users of our services as well as the taxpayers,” Wong said.

He added that one of the most pressing questions is whether there are many types of permanent residents and what determines their right to vote.

“The nuance of this needs to be opened up by the province and the province needs to make the system fair across the province because it's not just a Calgary-based demand,” Wong said.

The Calgary councilor was not surprised by McIver's response, he said. He added that McIver is very active and understands the multiculturalism of Alberta and Calgary.

“I know he won't rule it out because of his personal feelings for us. It would weigh the arguments presented by all the municipalities,” said Wong.

“All the members of the Council are always inclined to convince, so no one has voted yet. I think Calgarians need to understand that.”

True North has reached out to McIver for further comment. His office said he had nothing to add to X's previous position.