Article content continued

But among the Parti Québécois, the notion that “others” are out to get them is so deeply entrenched that it was only the smallest of leaps for Premier Pauline Marois and her Justice Minister, Bertrand St-Arnaud, to imagine McGill and Concordia undergrads as enemies of the nation.

Continue reading…

[/np_storybar]

That would be more than enough to vote in any other Canadian jurisdiction, but Mr. Mahendiran was deemed to not be Québécois enough.

“The [revision officer] basically said it was a question of what she believes, because at one point she said ‘I don’t believe you’re domiciled,’” he said.

With less than two weeks until Quebec’s April 7 election, an increasing number of Montreal students born out of province have been turned away at polling stations for failing to prove their “intent” to stay permanently in Quebec.

Concordia University student Malory Beazley, 26, a Montreal resident since 2011, was turned away for failing to provide a Quebec driver’s license.

B.C.-born student Sean Beatty has lived in Montreal for six years and pays Quebec taxes, but appears to have had his eligibility scuttled when officials found out he was still using his B.C. health care card.

Using the name AnonMcGill, Mr. Beatty posted a secret recording of the exchange

“I have a doubt that you’re not a resident of Quebec; as soon as I have a doubt that you’re not a resident of Quebec, I cannot put you on the list,” an elections official can be heard telling the student in English. “You can give me [hydro] bills for the last 10 years, but it doesn’t prove to me that you’re a resident.”