A U.S. resident will challenge Prime Minister Stephen Harper in his home riding in the upcoming federal election. Nicolas Duchastel de Montrouge, who also holds Canadian citizenship, was approved by Elections Canada last week to run as an Independent candidate in Calgary Heritage.
Having lived in the U.S. for 15 years, Duchastel de Montrouge has voted in several Canadian federal elections. Along with 1.4 million other Canadian expats, he cannot vote by mail in the Oct. 19 federal election because of a law dating back to 1993 which was recently enforced by the Harper government. It states that Canadians who have lived abroad for over five years cannot cast a ballot in any federal election.
Even though Duchastel de Montrouge, who lives in Seattle, is not allowed to vote in Canada, he can legally run for office. All he had to do was collect 100 signatures from people living in the riding.
Duchastel de Montrouge drummed up support by canvassing several Calgary coffee shops during two separate visits to the city in September. He said his real goal is not to become an MP but to bring awareness to the issue surrounding the expat vote.
