WRITE TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE
Now that you’ve laid all the groundwork, you can start getting in front of the people who can make the desired change happen.
Usually this will be your MPP/MHA/MLA(s), a specific Minister and their colleagues (see below).
If the campaign has a National lens, much of the homework has already been done for you! Your job is simply to review it to get up to speed on the issue.
As mentioned in the How to Use this Resource section, it’s important to use a variety of contact methods, and copy (cc) the right people wherever you can:
Hard copy letter
Email (to follow up on the letter)
Fax
If the campaign is coming from CARP National, we’ll provide letter templates for you to use:
At a minimum, you will want to include the appropriate departmental Minister, Deputy Minister, Department Head(s) who are responsible for the file, the Premier and their senior advisors, the Seniors Advocate (if you have one) and the Minister of Seniors (or equivalent in your province) and their Deputy.
Include bureaucrats in your communication. Without their support, or at least their understanding of your goals, your chance of success is limited. Talking with them first will help you understand the decision making process in their department, what steps are currently underway on the file, and whether your wishes are in line with the current departmental approach.
Remember that in most provinces, the Premier and their staff make the final decisions. Ministers and staff recommend policy and legislation, but the buck stops at the top. Make sure the Premier’s senior advisors are copied on your correspondence.
Finding politicians’ contact information
Email addresses are available for politicians in your Province (click each province to view):
Find Federal MP contact information
Politicians also often have “hidden coded email addresses” which follow a consistent and known format and which go directly to their inbox. CARP National can help you find those: Ask for help with this here
Finding who to include
There’s a best practice of who to cc on your emails to politicians and bureaucrats:
Consider all the government officials that have an impact on your area of interest. These are most likely one or a few of the following:
Associated Ministers (depending on the focus of the campaign)
Executive Assistants
Associated Deputy Ministers and/or Department Heads.
The Premier in many cases (or Prime Minister)
Local MPP/MHA/MLA
Finally, there are many instances where you can add pressure by sending copies of your letter to the media (as a press release) and your local CARP Members.
To research which of these individuals you should contact for a particular project, you may use various methods:
Speak with others familiar with the topic. Ask them who in government is involved in this area. These may include your local Councilor, MLA/MPP/MNA or MP; someone involved in the issue from an agency or NGO; CARP members who are retired from the government; CARP’s Chief Policy Officer; or professionals working in the area; corporate partners who have Government Relations staff (such as pharmaceutical companies); or local media professionals.
The Department of Seniors or equivalent in your province is a great place to start. They can be a huge help.
You will gradually build your own “rolodex” of those involved in the inner workings of government in the departments that concern you. Keep them filed away in an easy-to-reference format that can be easily shared with others in your Chapter, for posterity.
Once you have answered these questions for one advocacy topic, you will find many of the same contacts will remain for any other issue you pursue.
