A Letter is Better

Write to your MP and MPP That You Care About Animal Welfare

If you care about animal welfare and want to improve their lives, write a letter and mail or email your concerns to your federal Member of Parliament and your Member of Provincial Parliament.  We need to educate our political representatives about animal/environmental issues.  Even if you think that the politicians won’t change anything, by writing to them we are letting them know what we care about, and that this is how we decide who we vote for.

It is more effective to write a letter to your MP than it is to hand-sign or e-sign a petition. The problem with a petition is that it may not be directed to the person who has any authority to deal with it, and there is often no assurance that anyone is actually collecting or delivering the signatures. 

Sources in Ottawa admit that at best, a petition might be tabled in the House of Commons, but thereafter, it is often put on the shelf.  The only time signed petitions have a hope of making a difference is if they are part of a larger, highly coordinated and focused strategic plan.

However, when you write your own letter to your MP or MPP, the Minister’s office will write back. The number of letters a Minister receives on any given issue is tallied and lets the Minister know what constituents are concerned about.

In addition to writing to elected officials, it is very effective to donate regularly to a charity, not-for-profit group, or political party that shares your vision, such as the Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada.  At Animal Alliance, your donation will be used to further the goals of animal welfare with genuine, tangible results that you can actually see over time.

Lynda Spencer

Volunteer