Contacting Politicians

Provincial
To find out how to contact your provincial representative, go to:
Contact your MLA

You can also visit or call Enquiry BC, a free service designed to connect you with the provincial government program, service or person you need to contact. Hours are 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Long distance connections are made free of charge.
• Vancouver: 604-660-2421
• Victoria: 604-387-6121
• Toll-Free: 1-800-663-7867

Federal
To find out how to contact your federal representative, follow this link and enter your postal code in the space provided: Contact your MP

Letters to politicians
Writing to your political representative is an effective way to bring attention to an issue. If you plan to contact your political representative in writing, keep in mind that it is better to send a letter by mail, rather than fax, and that sending a fax is better than sending an email.

Tips:
• Make the letter as concise as possible

• Clearly lay out the facts

• Be professional; try not to vent anger or frustration or make judgments

• Request a specific action in addition to expressing the concern or raising the issue

• Include suggestions and ideas that could improve or rectify the problem

• Attach factual information that supports or strengthens your position, such as an article or a short summary of a study, if appropriate

• Use a positive word approach; be specific and state the positive result you are seeking, rather than stating what you do not want to happen

• Copy (“cc”) the letter to other relevant people

• Keep a copy for yourself

Telephone calls to politicians
Generally speaking, it is better to write a letter to your political representative than it is to contact them by telephone. However, if you would rather make a phone call, you should carefully prepare beforehand so that you are able to present your thoughts in a clear and concise manner.

Tips:
• Practice what you are going to say before you make the call. Jot down some notes that you can refer to while you are on the phone

• After you have explained the issue, present some possible solutions and be sure to ask for specific actions to be taken

• Do not spend time complaining or venting anger; get to the point and make sure you present information fairly and factually

• Keep in mind that while you may not get through directly to your elected representative you can speak to the office staff; recognize that the people in the office are very influential. Ask that your position and specific request for action be forwarded to the politician

• Keep a record of when you called and the name of the person you spoke to


Meetings with politicians
A face-to-face meeting with an elected official provides the opportunity to present information directly, which can encourage active rather than passive interest in an issue.

Tips:
• Make sure your request is within the jurisdiction of whichever level of government the politician is capable of influencing

• Take another informed person or ally with you, preferably someone who is particularly relevant to the discussion and up-to-date on all important information

• Be specific about what you want the politician to do

• Stick to your point

• Take accurate notes of what they say and commit to

• Provide brief, well-selected background material, such as articles, or reports relevant to the issue

• If you are not able to meet with your elected official, arrange to meet with his or her assistant

• Follow up with a letter of thanks, restating your position and outlining the discussion that took place, including the commitments made (or lack thereof)