Grits Abroad Calls for Reform as Millions of Canadian Voters Overseas Face Barriers

DARMSTADT, Germany - Rezul -- When a federal by-election was recently overturned by Canada's Supreme Court over a difference of just a single vote – a mistyped postal code on an overseas mail ballot – it threw into sharp relief a wider democratic gap that Grits Abroad is working to close. With advance polls and mail-in voting already underway for three crucial by-elections in Ontario and Quebec on 13 April, the organisation is highlighting the continuing difficulties faced by Canadians living outside the country who wish to vote, or even to donate to the party or candidate of their choice.

According to Grits Abroad's own estimates, approximately 2.9 million Canadians living overseas are eligible to vote. Yet in the last general election, Elections Canada issued just 101,690 voting kits to electors outside Canada, of which only 57,440 were returned on time and tallied – a turnout rate of roughly 2%. By comparison, overseas turnout in the 2024 US federal election was 11%, according to the US Federal Voting Assistance Programme. In other words, six times as many Americans vote from overseas as Canadians.

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"The gaps don't stop at voting. Canadians abroad often find themselves unable to contribute financially or intellectually to political life – parties, candidates, and riding associations – simply because they lack something as basic as a Canadian phone number or address. It's sadly paradoxical that a citizen can be 'Canadian enough to vote, but not quite Canadian enough to donate.'" – Dr Timothy Veale, Director, Grits Abroad

The legal right to vote has been settled: in 2019, the Supreme Court of Canada affirmed that all eligible Canadians abroad may cast ballots. But a right is only as meaningful as the system that supports it. Grits Abroad argues that systemic barriers – outdated registration processes, poor awareness of eligibility, and donation rules that exclude anyone without a Canadian address or phone number – leave millions effectively disengaged from the democratic process.

Grits Abroad is building a global community rooted in Liberal values: compassion, integrity, and reason. The organisation's focus spans improving voting access for all Canadians regardless of party affiliation, addressing pension challenges for retirees abroad, tackling unfair taxation and immigration processes, and ensuring that Canadians returning home are genuinely welcomed back – not just in rhetoric but in policy.

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"The Canadian diaspora can serve as a crucial network to help build Canada's independent connections to the rest of the world. It's time more was done to include every Canadian in our democratic political processes." – Dr Timothy Veale, Director, Grits Abroad

Distance doesn't diminish citizenship – but it does make voting more complicated than it should be. Grits Abroad thinks it's time all Canadians voted.

About Grits Abroad
Grits Abroad (gritsabroad.ca) is a community of Canadians living outside Canada who are committed to Liberal values and to improving the political participation of the Canadian diaspora. The organisation advocates for systemic reforms to make Canadian democracy more inclusive for all citizens, wherever they live – including fairer access to voting, political donations, and civic engagement. Grits Abroad estimates that approximately 2.9 million Canadians abroad are eligible to vote.

Media Contact
As our membership are spread across time zones, media are invited to contact Grits Abroad via our regularly monitored webform or contact email:

https://www.gritsabroad.ca/contact