Sample Letter for your Member of Parliament
The following generic letter can be sent to your Member of Parliament, the Prime Minister or Cabinet members, and other government officials. Please feel free to add, change, or delete as you see fit to make your own customized letter according to today’s issues.
Find your Member of Parliament and their contact information here:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/Parliamentarians/en/members
Don’t forget to add your name, address, and phone number to your letters and emails!
Dear _______ [add “Honourable” for the PM and Cabinet ministers]
Like the majority of Canadians, I am pro-choice and never want to see abortion re-criminalized in Canada. This would be a profound violation of the rights of anyone who can get pregnant.
Please defend and uphold the legal right to abortion at every opportunity. It is my hope that you will publicly oppose and vote against any private member’s bill or motion that may be introduced in Parliament that is intended to restrict abortion or reduce access. I also hope that you will vote against any attempts to subordinate the rights of pregnant people in favour of fetal rights.
Furthermore, do not give the Provinces leeway to infringe on abortion rights or access by devolving more healthcare responsibilities to the provinces, or by failing to penalize provinces when they allow private clinics to charge fees for medically required services in violation of the Canada Health Act.
Instead, please assert that all abortions are medically required. Access to abortion is a constitutional right for women (to protect their life, liberty, conscience, and bodily integrity as per the 1988 Morgentaler decision). Inability to access the service puts people’s lives and health at risk, and both childbirth and abortion must be funded equally to avoid discriminating against people capable of pregnancy, especially those who are low-income.
I expect you, as my MP, to hold the government accountable to protect the rights of Canadians under the Charter and to ensure the government enforces the Canada Health Act, and make sure that fully funded abortion care is available for every pregnant person who needs it, regardless of where they live.
Thank you for listening to my views.
Sincerely,
