Saskatchewan expat wants right to vote in federal election

A Saskatchewan woman who has lived in the United Kingdom since 2006 says she should be able to vote in the upcoming federal election.

Earlier this month, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that Canadians who have been living abroad since 2007 would not be able to cast a ballot.

The ruling has caused an uproar from Canadian citizens living in other countries long-term.

Carmody Wilson moved to Glasgow in 2006 to study journalism. She stayed in the UK, married a British man and is now living in London.

"Any way that you curb democracy by preventing people from voting is kind of a bad thing in my book," Wilson said.

The court ruled that allowing non-resident citizens to vote would involve them in a system that affects Canadian residents, while having no practical consequences in their own daily lives.

Wilson disagrees. She said she regularly follows Canadian political news and comes home at least once a year.

"It feels relatively simple. I am a Canadian and my family is Canadian," she said. "I follow Canadian politics. I have a stake in the country."

The issue came up most recently when actor Donald Sutherland wrote an opinion piece condemning the decision.

The ruling affects more than one million Canadians who are living abroad long-term, although only around 6,000 of them voted in the last federal election.