International students would like to have voting rights in Canada

Loyalist student Raghav Bhalla (left) and his friend Rahul Sharma, both of whom are from India. Bhalla says that since he plans to stay in Canada, he’d like to be able to vote in the Oct. 21 federal election. Photo by Olivia Waldriff, QNet News

By Olivia Waldriff

BELLEVILLE – The federal election is coming up on Oct. 21, and students at Loyalist College are getting ready to vote – but some can’t, even though they want to.

International students are not allowed to vote in Canada. Here at Loyalist, some of them say they would like to see that change.

“Most of us come (to Canada to study) for (Canadian) citizenship and are able to vote after getting citizenship. So getting these rights earlier just makes sense,” Raghav Bhalla, a first-year student in the supply chain management program who is from India, told QNet News this week.

Many international students declined to speak to QNet, saying they didn’t know enough about the Canadian election to be interviewed.

Jithin Tom Jiji (left) and Nishanth Rajendran, both from India, are studying at Loyalist College. “We are here to explore new things and we’re here to learn, so we need to know more about Canadian politics,” Rajendran says. Photo by Olivia Waldriff, QNet News

But first-year global business management student Nishanth Rajendran, also from India, said that’s exactly why they should be taught more about politics in this country.

“I think we should (be able to vote),” Rajendran said. “We are here to explore new things and we’re here to learn, so we need to know more about Canadian politics.”

Rajendran and his classmate Setul Shah said that one of the most important issues for them is immigration.

“The immigration laws … really affect us, and we want someone in office that can speak for us,” Shah said.

Bhalla has been in Canada for a month and said he is planning on getting a job after completing his diploma and staying in Canada permanently. Rajendran and Shah, who have been here for five months, said they plan to do the same.

“It’s a goal for international students to become citizens after two or three years,” Shah said.

Since the topic was politics, QNet also asked the students about the political situation in their home country.

Rajendran said things are “really bad” in India.

“Elections are really hectic … There are no ethics in Indian politics,” Shah said.

The Democracy Index, compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit to measures the state of democracy in 167 countries, India is ranked 41st and is listed as a “flawed democracy.” The EIU defines a flawed democracy as “nations where elections are fair and free and basic civil liberties are honoured but may have issues. These nations have significant faults in other democratic aspects, including underdeveloped political culture, low levels of participation in politics, and issues in the functioning of governance.” Canada is sixth on the list, tied with Ireland, and is labelled as a “full democracy” – defined as “nations where civil liberties and basic political freedoms are not only respected but also reinforced by a political culture conducive to the thriving of democratic principles.”

In an article on CNN’s News18 website in India, writer Manindra Nath Thakur says that in that country, “the language of politics has reached lowest of the lows … Instead of debating issues, … the leaders of today call each other names; they try to drag the personal weaknesses of each other out in public.”