Communicating with Politicians

An effective way to communicate your concerns with your legislator is by writing a letter. Phone calls are the quickest method of communication, but unless your MP is available to speak with you, your concerns will be relayed to him or her through a staff member. In this way, neither your message nor your personal touch reaches your legislator directly. Members of Parliament are still highly paper-oriented.  Emails will sometimes be efficient but Members' and Ministers' offices are still geared to receiving and processing written letters received in hard copy.
Writing a letter is simple and is, in fact, the most popular method of reaching a member of Congress. When drafting a letter, please bear in mind these few basic suggestions:

• Be Direct: State the purpose of writing your legislator in the first paragraph of the letter.
• Be Specific: Ask your MP about specific actions or issues, and be clear what type of response is expected.
• Be Accurate:  If your letter concerns a specific piece of legislation, identify it as such. The Library of Parliament provides a website that will assist you in researching a House or Senate bill number.
• Be Concise: Keep the letter to one page, if possible.
• Be Efficient: Faxing your letter, as opposed to mailing it, is highly recommended.
• Be sure to c.c. the Canadian Apparel Federation
  

Legislators' fax numbers and other information can be obtained from the Parliament of Canada website.

You can direct postal correspondence as follows:


Prime Minister:
The Rt. Hon. _______ 

Prime Minister of Canada 

House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6

Cabinet Minister:
The Hon. _______ 

Minister of _______

House of Commons 

Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6

Member of Parliament:
Mr./Ms. _______

Member of Parliament 

House of Commons

Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6

Senator
The Hon. _______

Senator

Parliament Building

Ottawa, ON 
K1A 0A4