Sample invitation letter to your MP (member of Parliament) to speak at an event – Canada
Members of Parliament (MPs) are your elected representatives chosen by citizens to represent their interests in a national or state assembly. Any country that practices a republican or parliamentary form of government, has at least one, sometimes two, maybe three houses that make up a national representative assembly or Parliament. In Canada, the Senate and the House of Commons make up the parliament. Only persons elected into the House of Commons are known as members of parliament. You will learn how best to write a sample invitation letter to your MP to speak at an event.
Why Reach Out to Your MP?
Your member of parliament is your direct link to government. He or she is there to represent your interests in a legislative capacity. As a responsible citizen, it is good to understand and get involved in the way laws are made because one way or another the process affects various aspects of your life. Your members of parliament make, amend and oversee laws that affect your education, healthcare, social welfare, and housing systems. They impact immigration, foreign policy, labor laws, name it.
In a nutshell, Members of Parliament hold huge influence both in your local area and on the national scene in deciding what gets done and when.
It is certainly in your interest to write a letter to your MP at some point, as an individual or a group, whenever you have concerns about issues or simply need more light thrown an issue. Remember, your MP is a public servant. His first obligation is to his constituents. He is there to serve you, and therefore there should be constant communication between you and your local and national members of Parliament.
Getting an MP to Speak at an Event
A member of parliament is a public figure. He/she has lawmaking responsibilities that include preparing, researching, introducing and ratifying bills or laws and presenting them on the floor of the assembly. They usually do this with a team of hired people,- researchers, assistants, secretaries, etc.
It is also their responsibility to engage with constituents meaningfully. One way to do this is by speaking at public events. To get your MP’s attention, you must send them a formal invitation. Depending on the location, members of parliament can get dozens, even hundreds of invitations for various functions every month. How you express your invitation will either make you stand out, or get you chucked in the waste file.
Before you write an invitation letter to an MP to Speak at an Event, consider the following;
- What is the purpose of your event?
- Why do you need your MP to be present?
- What details must you confirm that should be included in your invitation?
Writing an invitation letter
Like all letters, certain things are standard for your invitation.
- Ensure you include the proper addresses in the letter. Mail may be sent postage-free to any Member of Parliament at the following address: “Name of Member of Parliament, House of Commons,Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6”. To find email addresses for individual Members of Parliament, please consult the Current Members of Parliament directory on the Parliament of Canada’s website.
- Address the Member of Parliament appropriately. Most MPs are called ‘Honorable’ or ‘The Honorable’, followed by their first and last names. Also indicate the constituency he represents.
- You can choose to entitle your letter, or go straight to the body without a title. E.g “Invitation to Speak at TedX, Ottawa.” If you are sending an e-mail invitation however, be sure to state the topic in the subject line.
- Give an appropriate introduction about the event to which you are inviting your MP. Include relevant facts that would attract his/her attention. And also other necessary details, such as the date and time of the venue. Specific things you wish him to address. Be sure to include why you believe the MP’s presence is necessary, or what he stands to gain from being at your event.
- Be concise with your points and don’t make the letter too long. One or two pages is enough. Maintain a polite tone.
- Include an RSVP, phone numbers and other contacts that you can be reached on/at.
- If ultimately your MP is unable to attend your event in person, you may offer to schedule a meeting with him/ her at their electorate office instead depending on the situation.
Sample Invitation Letters to MP to Speak at an Event
Here are a couple of sample letters to invite an MP to speak at your Event.
Women Empowerment Group (WEG),
6056 Stanton Drive,
SW Edmonton, AB T6X 0H1.
June 7, 2018.
The Honorable Mary Johnson,
Member for Edmonton West,
House of Commons,
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Dear Honorable Johnson,
I am writing on behalf of the Women Empowerment Group (WEG) Canada.
We are a non-governmental organization registered since 2010, who are passionate about making sure every girl gets the necessary exposure to technology and computers. We believe that women thrive more when they have access to opportunities for development, and undoubtedly Information Technology is shaping the world, and by extension the workplace.
Some studies show that about 50 percent of Canadian jobs could potentially be replaced by automation over the next 20 years. It is our desire that women in Canada, and even all over the world make the most out of the opportunities that this presents, as opposed to being sidelined because of them.
We also believe your background in Information Technology, and your very admirable achievement of transforming your humble IT start-up to a multinational Technology company, portrays perfectly what we aim to achieve at WEG.
As such, we would be honored to have you as the Key Note Speaker at our 8th year Anniversary, to speak on the topic “Girls and Coding: The Future”.
The anniversary comes up at the EVE Events Center at CityScape, Edmonton, Alberta at 9 a.m.
We genuinely believe your presence would add depth and color to the occasion. It would be a great opportunity to convey your inspiring contributions on the IT scene. We believe many who look up to you would benefit immensely, as several school and college groups will also be in attendance.
We really look forward to your being a part of this occasion.
Please find attached the scheduled program of events for the Anniversary.
Kindly contact Hilda Green on (780) 475-7034 with any questions you may have.
Yours sincerely,
Helen Wood,
Director,
Women Empowerment Group (WEG), Canada.
Sample 2
College & Association of Registered Nurses in Canada (CARNA),
17503 59 Avenue,
NW Edmonton AB T6M 1H1.
June 7, 2018.
The Honorable Sue Smith,
Member for North Vancouver,
House of Commons,
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Dear Honorable Smith,
We are writing to invite you to join us at our next Provincial Meeting that will be taking place at the Civic Hall, University of Alberta Hospital. Provincial Council meetings offer open forum sessions for observers to ask questions of council or staff, raise issues for future consideration by council, and comment on current issues or experiences or provide feedback.
The College & Association of Registered Nurses in Canada (CARNA) CARNA exists so that the public is assured of safe, competent, ethical nursing care and excellence in nursing practice. Considering the recent budget cuts in healthcare over the past year, we believe this is a perfect avenue for you to address the community on the issues.
Our next meeting comes up at 4.30pm, 26th June, 2018.
Do let us know if this is convenient for you, as we can adjust the time to a more suitable one. We look forward to hearing from you. If you have any queries please contact Jon Doe on (243) 777 8420.
Sincerely,
Hilda Green,
President, CARNA.
