Seen and Heard at the Congress of the Swiss Abroad -- info suisse article (Swiss Canadian Chamber of Commerce)

SUISSE News Fall 2022
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October 2022

Seen and Heard at the Congress of the Swiss Abroad

(Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) )

Your Canadian delegates on the Council of the Swiss Abroad attended the OSA congress in Lugano in late summer. Over the course of three days, we got to meet the other delegates in person for the first time, including people with whom we had collaborated virtually.

First Day: the official meeting of the Council

The first day is dedicated to the council session, where various agenda items were presented and discussed. A panel of politicians debated Switzerland-EU relationships, in which concern and disappointment with the Federal Council and the current state was expressed.

Second Day: the congress

The second day started with a speech by the President of Switzerland, Mr. Ignazio Cassis, followed by presentations, panels and discussions on the theme of democracy: participation, voting, institutions, information etc. For those of us in tune with North American politics, the tone was refreshingly civil.

Key Themes

E-voting: e-voting remains a priority, although debates remain within all parties. When Geneva stopped e-voting, participation from the Swiss Abroad fell from 36% to 27%. E-voting should be introduced in 2023-2024 and fully rolled out in 2027. The voting credentials will still be mailed until an e-ID to vote entirely digitally.

Your delegates at work on banks and voting: A small group of us supported by over 30 delegates developed some recommendations to advance access to financial services (the situation remains confusing, although the Cantonal Bank of Zurich is now offering accounts to Canadian residents at about the same price as Postfinance but with better service and no limitations on holdings).

The other topic is access to democratic rights. This means not only e-voting and sending voting material earlier, but generally about participation : if we don’t vote, it is easier to ignore us. Among 780,000 Swiss abroad, only about 210,000 are registered to vote, and among these, only about a quarter actually do. Increasing participation can give us more visibility and see our issues taken more seriously.

How we are elected: An issue that was discussed was the mode of elections of delegates. Currently, delegates are elected by Swiss clubs. The alternative, which was tested in some countries in 2017, was to run a general election offering the opportunity for all Swiss abroad to vote. Some delegates feel that this is more consistent with Swiss democratic principles. It could also ensure that we more closely reflect the full diversity of the Swiss Abroad: 54% of us are women, and close to 80% are under 65.

→ Tell us: what would you like to see from the Association of the Swiss Abroad and from your delegates? Let us know at hello@osa-canada.org