‘Feels empowering:’ New Canadians excited to cast ballots in federal election

New Canadian Naiwen Cao, who works at the Centre for Newcomers, will be voting for the first time in his life in the upcoming election and is pictured at the centre in Calgary, Thursday, April 17, 2025.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Naiwen Cao plans to wear a red T-shirt with a Maple Leaf on election day.

The 31-year-old says he’s feeling particularly patriotic for the April 28 federal vote, because it will be his first time casting a ballot — not just as a new Canadian — but ever.

“I’m very excited to vote,” said Cao, who immigrated to Calgary from China in 2021. He got his Canadian citizenship in January.

“I came from China. You never vote there. I don’t consider it free will.”

He’s still figuring out which candidate in his riding best addresses the issues he cares about.

Canada’s trade war with the United States has taken over much of the election campaign, but Cao said he’s more curious about how the parties plan to fix the immigration system to ensure newcomers are set up for success.

“I know immigration is not a hot topic right now for people to talk about, but I really focus on that.” As an employee at the Centre for Newcomers in Calgary, he’s seen immigrants integrate well and some not so well.

How candidates plan to manage Canada’s relationship with China and foreign interference will also determine his vote, he said.

Liberal incumbent Paul Chiang bowed out of the campaign in the Ontario riding of Markham-Unionville after suggesting another candidate could be turned over to Chinese officials in exchange for a bounty. Cao said he was relieved that all parties disagreed with Chiang’s statement.

“Chiang’s comments concerned me as a Chinese community member,” he said. “I came from China, so I know how things work in China. I more agree with Canadian values, how you treat people.”

Cao said he plans to vote, because he’s sure of one thing: “I want Canada to be strong.”

An online survey conducted from April 1-4 by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship suggests 29 per cent of 2,397 new Canadian voters are open to changing their minds before polling day.

About 80 per cent of those surveyed said the cost of living was one of their top five concerns. Health care was second and housing was third.

“New Canadians are extremely engaged civically — 92 per cent said that they were intending to vote in this election,” said Daniel Bernhard, the group’s CEO. Elections Canada says the overall voter turnout in the last federal election in 2021 was just over 62 per cent.

“That for me ... is heartening to see that people who have become Canadian by choice are actually more interested in our democracy in some cases than those of us who became Canadian by birth.”

He said the survey suggests, although they are paying attention to the trade war, new Canadians are focused on making ends meet.

“Unlike many Canadians who have become attached to a specific party as a matter of personal identity, new Canadians are much more open to persuasion,” he said.

Among them is Valeria Shibanova, who immigrated to Canada from Russia and became a citizen in 2022.

The North Bay, Ont., resident says she’s torn between the area’s Liberal and Conservative candidates because she didn’t appreciate former prime minister Stephen Harper’s policy on immigration, but the housing crisis under the last decade of Liberal government has worsened.

“I wouldn’t have come to a country knowing that I might not be able to afford even rent,” she said.

“So it’s like I don’t like (Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre), but I also don’t want to vote for people who got us into this mess. So I’m really torn.”

Rizwan Ahmad, 27, said he knows who he’s casting his ballot for.

“I am voting Conservative,” said the Calgary resident, who also works at the city’s Centre for Newcomers. He moved to Canada from Pakistan in 2015 and obtained his Canadian citizenship in 2020.

“Past 10 years, things have not been looking so great, with housing and inflation,” he said.

“Young people are feeling hopeless. I have friends dealing with it. They’re reluctant to start a family.”

Ahmad said he’s also excited to vote on election day.

“It feels empowering to vote for the first time in Canada,” he said.

“I appreciate democracy.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2025.

Rianna Lim and Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press