Sample letter to your MP Canada

Need to reach out to your elected officials but not sure how? Learn how to write a letter to your Member of Parliament.

What is Parliament and who is an MP?

The Parliament of Canada (French: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the national capital. Parliament is made up of three parts

– The Canadian monarch, represented by the governor general;

– An upper house: the Senate;

– And a lower house: the House of Commons.

Each part has its own officers and organization.

The members of the House of Commons—called members of parliament (MPs)—each represent an electoral district, commonly referred to as a riding, and are directly elected by Canadian voters.

Again, only those who sit in the House of Commons are called members of parliament (MPs); the term is never applied to senators, even though the Senate is a part of parliament.

Each member of the House of Commons (French: Chambre des communes), is chosen by a plurality of voters in each of the country’s federal electoral districts. Districts are regularly re-organised according to the results of each decennial national census however, the “senatorial clause” of the Constitution Act, 1867, guarantees each province at least as many MPs as it has senators and the “grandfather clause” permits each province as many MPs as it had in either 1976 or 1985. The existence of this legislation has pushed the size of the House of Commons above the required minimum of 282 seats.

There are currently 338 members of the House of Commons, directly elected by Canadian voters. Each Member of Parliament holds office until parliament is dissolved, after which they can seek re-election.

Why write a letter to your MP?

Your member of parliament has a tremendous amount of influence over the systems that run the country. As a lawmaker, he is responsible for making legislation for the benefit of the citizenry.

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, etc.

Considering the scope of issues that constantly come up in our communities, there usually is something that requires your representative’s attention. If it affects you and you feel government should take action on it, it is a good idea to write to your MP and state your problems.

Letters don’t always have to be about grievances though. You could write a letter of appreciation, thanking your MP for his/her efforts, or over a particular thing you feel is worthy of commendation. You could also write a letter urging him to vote a particular way over a proposed bill.

How to write a letter to your MP

Here are a few pointers on writing letters to your MPs.

• Be sure to include the proper addresses. 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.
• Date your letter.
• 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. If you are sending an e-mail invitation however, be sure to state the topic in the subject line.
• If there are several things you wish to say about a particular issue, itemize your points in block paragraphs.

Here is a sample letter to a Member of Parliament:

The Honorable Sue Smith,

Member for North Vancouver,

House of Commons,

Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

June 7, 2018

Dear Madame,

I am Harriet Holder, a resident of Greenwich, North Vancouver. I am a retired school teacher and have lived in the community over 30 years. I would really like to thank you for everything you did over the past year concerning our parks and recreational facilities.

Thanks to your efforts, our green areas are green again, and our kids have lots of places to play in. The recreation centers that were closed down since 2014 have now re-opened and we’re all so happy for it.

You have my full support and I know the community is solidly behind you.

Yours sincerely,

Susan Rice.

Sample 2

Michael Downe,

73 East Plymouth St.

Windsor, BC J1S-M9J.

The Honorable Sue Smith,

Member for North Vancouver,

House of Commons,

Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 0A6

June 7, 2018

Honorable Smith,

I am writing to express my concerns about Parliament’s attitude toward the current Immigration problem. The recent influx of thousands of foreign refugees into the country has caused me some concerns.

Canada is known for its hospitality and liberal nature, but a line must be drawn between welcoming strangers and welcoming potential security threats. I would like us to help people who are distressed in their countries. However, it is important that we as a nation have a well-documented plan to ensure that while helping those who are displaced, the same people who caused the problem in those nations do not sneak in amongst the distressed to escape punishment.

I am concerned that your silence on proposing stricter regulations on immigration is creating an even bigger problem than we currently have. I ask that you urgently propose tighter immigration legislation that will ensure that those who love violence to not sneak into Canada to destabilize our peace.

I know that it may be difficult to fish out the bad eggs, and it is even more difficult to pretend as if we do not hear the cries of the oppressed. Yet we must to keep quiet and let those few bad eggs destabilize the whole world.

Sincerely,

Michael Downe.