Given the Alberta government’s current sensitivity around matters of jurisdiction, one might expect municipal politicians to be more prudent and strategic in the battles they choose.

In the case of Calgary Coun. Courtney Walcott and his notice of motion on the issue of voting rights, neither adjective applies. Walcott and his supporters are clearly not reading the room — both in terms of the Alberta government’s priorities and those of the general electorate.

Why focus on an issue that has no chance of succeeding and doesn’t address the more pressing concerns that the public consistently identifies? Moreover, why try to fix something that isn’t broken?

As per the Charter, every citizen of Canada of legal voting age has the right to vote in an election, to “protect the right of each citizen to play a meaningful role in the electoral process.”

Not everyone who resides in Canada is a citizen, and non-citizens can obviously be affected by the decisions made by elected officials. But voting remains one of the rights and responsibilities that comes with citizenship.

The Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA) stipulates that only citizens can vote in municipal elections. Walcott’s notice of motion aims to also allow permanent residents to vote. But........

© Calgary Herald