Canada is a country that has opened its doors to immigrants through programs that help them obtain permanent residency and then they can study and work, finally settle in this country to get started a new life. Due to the growing increase in immigrants it is logical that controversial issues arise and bring important topics about these groups to the table. One of these issues concerns the right of permanent residents to vote in municipal elections. Although there are opinions to the contrary, permanent residents, who are not Canadian citizens, should be able to vote in municipal elections. Permanent residents are a significant population group in Canada, so much so that according to the Citizenship Immigration Canada (CIC) website, “Over the past five years, Canada has admitted an average of more than 250,000 new permanent residents each year. This is approximately 0.8% of the Canadian population” (cic.gc.ca). It seems that the government will continue to implement its immigration policy and thus promote the arrival of more immigrants in the different provinces of the country, which would obviously be reflected in a substantial increase in these groups. In this sense, on November 1, 2013, Citizenship Immigration Canada announced that “in 2014, Canada will welcome between 240,000 and 265,000 new permanent residents who will contribute to the Canadian economy” (cic.gc.ca). This suggests that they will be increasingly present in Canadian society and the Canadian economy and therefore what they think should be taken into account by the authorities. Although councilor's opinion regarding whether permanent residents, who are not Canadian citizens, should be allowed to vote in municipal elections is divided, many groups l...... middle of paper ...... h offer the vote to non-citizens are where citizenship has been hardest to obtain, but obtaining Canadian citizenship is becoming increasingly difficult" ("Toronto Council Discusses Voting Privileges for Permanent Residents"). Works cite "Backgrounder - 2014 Immigration Levels Plan: Public and Stakeholder Consultations." Government of Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada. nd Web. 07 April 2014. "Notice - Additional Information to the 2014 Immigration Levels Plan" . Government of Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 01 November 2013. Web. 07 April 2014. Nero, Debra. "Votes for non-citizens in question." "Toronto Council Discusses Voting Privileges for Permanent Residents." Scarborough Mirror[Toronto, Ontario] February 1, 2013: 1. Quarterly Canadian Periodicals Index. Network. April 7.2014.