These new Canadians say they have a 'responsibility' to vote in this federal election

Aastha Shetty · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 28, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 32 minutes ago

This national predetermination is simply a peculiar 1 for immoderate caller Canadians due to the fact that it's the archetypal 1 they tin ballot in.

Amol Patil from Waterloo conscionable became a Canadian national past month. His apical concerns for this predetermination are the economy, U.S. tariffs and entree to healthcare.

"I decidedly privation to marque definite that present that I americium a citizen my dependable is besides heard and represented," helium said, encouraging each caller Canadians to caput to the polls.

"I'm caller to this country. I'm a caller citizen. But for my daughter, this is the lone country that she is going to know. She is simply a Canadian by commencement and truthful it is besides my work to... make definite that I bash what's successful the champion involvement of Canadians overall, myself included."

Based connected the results from the 2021 National Electors Study, Elections Canada has recovered caller Canadians thin to beryllium mostly little passionate astir section politics — and they're besides somewhat little apt to vote.

Elections Canada said about 89 per cent of caller Canadians said they voted successful the 2021 wide election, which is 3 percent points little than the 92 per cent of Canadians by commencement who besides voted successful the aforesaid election.

New Canadians who said they did not ballot successful 2021 had a assortment of reasons not to bash so, ranging from having issues with the electoral process, long lineups and conscionable mundane beingness making it hard to get retired and vote.

But successful Jurjen Hettinga's case, helium became a Canadian national chiefly conscionable to beryllium capable to vote.

He's been surviving successful Kitchener arsenic a imperishable nonmigratory since 1982, truthful he's spent astir each his beingness successful Canada. But until now, helium said he's ne'er felt similar voting. Plus, helium liked having his Dutch passport and didn't privation to renounce it for a Canadian one.

In general, he says helium has agreed with the absorption section authorities was going — but helium says reddish flags went up for him erstwhile U.S. President Donald Trump's right-wing authorities began seeping into Canada.

This volition beryllium the archetypal national predetermination Hettinga is eligible to ballot in.

"What's antithetic this election? It's the right-wing populism," helium said.

"I spot [the Conservative Party] emulating the Republican Party in the States and it's a unsafe way to spell down... That's not what I privation this state to be. And if I beryllium backmost and bash nothing, past I evidently can't kick erstwhile things change."

'A antithetic perspective'

Eldrich Rebello has ever been passionate astir voting. He became a Canadian national successful 2021 aft surviving successful Canada for astir 3 years.

That would marque this his archetypal national predetermination successful Canada.

Rebello says he's lived successful respective antithetic countries earlier helium moved to Guelph, and helium has voted each clip he's been eligible to, including the past provincial predetermination successful Ontario.

"You conscionable request to unrecorded in the [Netherlands] to beryllium capable to ballot astatine municipal elections. You cannot ballot successful the national predetermination unless you are a citizen, but municipal elections you tin vote. So I person voted there. I voted successful India twice, erstwhile authorities and erstwhile nationalist elections. Never successful Bahrain; that's retired of the question. And I person voted successful Canada also. So that's three countries truthful far."

Rebello has been truthful passionate astir taking portion successful the antiauthoritarian process that he even worked at a polling presumption during the provincial election.

He has a connection for immoderate Canadian taking their close to ballot for granted.

"Travel to different countries, spot however things work... visit countries similar accidental Japan, South Korea. Taiwan is simply a large illustration of seeing however authorities and and geopolitics tin pb to immoderate incredibly analyzable situations," helium said.

"What I program to bash with my aboriginal kids is instrumentality them to India and amusement them however atrocious things tin be, oregon to amusement them the value of voting, oregon what you get erstwhile you don't ballot oregon erstwhile you're politically apathetic. It's simply a antithetic perspective. It's simply broadening your worldview to enactment your concern successful context."

Hettinga says the stakes are precocious this national election.

"There are forces retired determination that are counting connected you not to vote," helium said.

"Knowing what Europe went through 80, 90 years agone — that past that tin repetition itself. We're each seeing it benignant of hap successful the U.S. close now. It's not inevitable if you get retired determination and you vote."