From time to time, Canadian policy makers have addressed the question of who should have the right to vote. Initially thought of as a "privilege" to be granted a select few, the vote is now widely understood in Canada, as in other advanced democracies, as a "right" of citizenship. But how universal should that right be? Should all citizens enjoy it, or simply those not denied it by statute or court rulling (or both)? If an individual or group is denied the vote, can such a limitation be demonstrably justi[fi]ed in a free and democratic society as allowed by section 1 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms?