Five New Brunswick cities want to give permanent residents the ability to vote in the next municipal election, but a change in provincial law must take place for that to happen.
Only Canadian citizens can vote according to the the Municipal Elections Act.
The New Brunswick Multicultural Council wants the law to be amended to include permanent residents in time for the next round of municipal elections in 2016.
“It’ll only lead to one thing, community inclusion and increased the civic engagement of those immigrants in the community,” said Moncef Lakouas, the council’s first vice-president.