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
SenatorThe Hon. _______
Senator
Parliament Building
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A4