With 3 elections on the horizon, new Canadians are learning how to cast their ballot

Newfoundland and Labrador is staring down federal, provincial, and municipal elections in the next eight months, but for one new Canadian the opportunity to vote is something she's not taking for granted.

"I come from a society where women are not allowed to go out or pursue their careers. So getting that opportunity in Canada, getting that sense of freedom, that sense of voice, and being able to make decisions for myself, I will be grateful to Canada for that forever," Shaiqa Bushra told CBC News.

Bushra is from India and received her Canadian citizenship last May. She cares about immigration policies, housing, the economy, and health care — an industry she hopes to work in.

She says voting is a civic duty and a gateway to impacting those systems.

"Canada has given me so much, academically, professionally, personally," Bushra said. "I feel there is a sense of responsibility in me now that I want to contribute to the society. I want to contribute to the community and make it an even better place."

Bushra's sense of patriotism and civic responsibility is a feeling the Association of New Canadians works to foster through their language school, where the Canadian electoral system is learned and ingrained in the curriculum.

Leo Etchegary, director of language services with the Association for New Canadians (ANC), says Canada's upcoming elections are prompting a lot of interest and questions among students.

"For some of our clients, they've never participated in an election," Etchegary said. "A lot of their questions are pretty basic, actually. How does my vote count? Who counts it? Where does it go when I put my vote into a ballot box."

Others ask what each political party stands for and how that will impact their families, employment and immigration status.

"One of the biggest issues they care about is feeding their families and trying to make sure they have enough money and food to put on the table," Etchegary said. 

Ongoing tensions between Canada and the United States are also raising concerns.

"There's definitely concern from our newcomers about what's going to happen as we get into the election and who's going to be in power," he said.

To answer those questions, the ANC holds a mock federal election where the voting process is the same as voting in real life. 

One of the classrooms will look like a polling station with booths, scrutineers, volunteers, monitors and chief returning officers.