Lobbying – Writing your Local MPP
Writing a letter or an email to your local Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) can be a powerful tool for change – after all, taking the time to write to your MPP shows that you really care about your issue.
So write to them – and get your friends and family to do the same.
1) If you don’t know the name of your MPP or your Electoral District:
Go to the Elections Ontario lookup page and use your postal code or address to find out.
2) When you know the name of your MPP or Electoral District:
Go to the Elections Ontario addresses list to get their contact information.
Make sure to send your letter or e-mail to their Constituency Office address – that’s the office in your local community.
3) Deciding what to write.
You can use our letter template as a start when you’re considering what to write.
But remember that speaking from your own experience can have a big impact on your local MPP.
So write a letter that talks about your experience with OW or ODSP - the ways the system has undermined you, failed to support you, denied you opportunities, or stopped you from reaching your full potential.
And tell them what you think a good social assistance system would look like – the resources, programs, and assistance that you think would help you and people in your community thrive, have economic security, and be able to live the life you want to live.
Keep your letter relatively short – two pages at the most – because your MPP or their staff will be more likely to read it that way.
If you are an activist, an agency worker, a community member, or a friend or supporter of a person living on OW or ODSP, tell your local MPP about the experience you have gained from seeing the struggles of the people you know.
And provide your insights into what a good social assistance system would be, and how the life of your local community as a whole could be made so much better if Ontario’s social assistance system had the explicit mandate to reduce poverty – after all, what else should it do?
