Set-up an in-person meeting with your Federal MP!
« I just hope that more people will ignore the fatalism of the argument that we are beyond repair. We are not beyond repair. We are never beyond repair. » ~Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Let’s bring our shared vision for a Green New Deal to political leaders, and challenge them to adopt these visionary policies in their platforms. Parties are supposed to pay attention to their constituents. They want to know what’s important to you and it’s their job to listen. Make sure your MP knows that a Green New Deal for Canada is an issue you feel strongly about. Read all the steps below or download the PDF directly if you prefer.
STEP#1: Find Your MP
Check out the www.ourcommons.ca to find your federal Member of Parliament.
Once you’ve got their contact info, you can learn more about their roles and affiliations. The more you know about them, the better you can direct your concerns. Do your own research and dig deeper.
STEP #2: Arrange for an in-person meeting
Don’t be reluctant to request an in-person meeting. It’s a big step, but it’s effective and can have great impacts. Call their office, indicate that you are a constituent and that you are calling to request a meeting to discuss a Green New Deal for Canada. A staff person in your MP’s office may offer to meet with you if the other is not available. This will still allow you to express your concerns and pass along information to your MP. Take advantage of the opportunity.
STEP #3: Be Prepared!
Here are some tips and suggestions for your meeting.
- Prior to the meeting, verify your arrival time and the amount of time you have for the meeting.
- Bring someone along to help take notes if you think that might be needed.
- Reaffirm this time allocation with the MP at the start of the meeting. MPs are often very busy and usually can allocate no more than 30 minutes to a meeting, so don’t be disappointed if this is the case.
- Be flexible and be respectful of the MP’s time; they may have to cut your meeting short if their schedule is particularly busy, so be gracious about whatever time you are able to secure with them.
- Briefly introduce yourself and others. Express a general thank you for agreeing to meet with you. (30 seconds)
- Explain why a Green New Deal is so important to you. Keep it personal. (1 minute) You can give them a printed copy of the Green New Deal to read.
- Introduce the problem: provide a succinct summary of why climate change is an urgent priority, and one that deserves greater focus and effort on the part of our political leaders. Draw on your own personal experiences, highlighting climate change impacts at the community or regional level, or you could speak more broadly about Canadian or international climate crises and of our responsibilities and obligations to act. Allow them time to respond or ask questions. (2 minutes)
- Introduce solutions/key asks. Keep discussion high level and succinct. You can print up and share a copy of the Green New Deal town hall results from across Canada to help. (3 minutes)
- Ask the MP to contribute their ideas or insights on how they can help us to accomplish the demands we have described for a Green New Deal. Do they understand them? Do they need more information? Ask them how you can help them to move the Green New Deal vision forward to achieve mutually agreeable goals?
- Make sure you make time to listen to the MP. It’s one of the biggest failings if you don’t. You want to hear what intel they have, what motivates them, what they care about, their read of the situation, and learn how your follow-up communications can be most impactful.
- Establish any action items to be completed after the meeting, including follow up meetings, introductions to other people or resources, or any other commitments agreed to during the meeting.
- Thank the MP and their staff for the meeting. Ask them to do a follow-up with you.
- Ask the MP to take a picture with you and the Green New Deal sign.
- Pass along any materials you wish to leave behind – these should be minimal and usually brief, just one or two documents. Ask if they would like to receive any links or resources electronically.
- Follow up. Send the MP and their staff any materials they would like to see.
- Complete the tasks to which you committed during the meeting.
- Invite the MP to events in the community to encourage further relationship building and network opportunities.
Source: Climate Action Network Canada, Lobbying Guide 2018
Greenpeace is a non-partisan organization that is not affiliated with any political party or candidate, or platform. Greenpeace’s push for a Green New Deal goes beyond the election period, however Greenpeace Canada is taking diligent steps to comply with Elections Canada requirements of reporting.