Letter Writing
Check back for more tools that will help you get your message out there. We will be adding more sections soon.
Letter Writing
You’re concerned about an issue, have some questions for a certain CEO or you just don’t understand Canada’s position on International Trade and you are going to write a letter. We have provided some hot tips for those who want to commit pen to paper and get it all out.
Letter writing is a great thing to do on your own. You can write them to just about anyone – a government representative, a newspaper, the head of a company. The most effective letters are those that are handwritten. Although they may be more time consuming, handwritten letters convey to the receiver that you are very concerned about the issue.
Before You Start!
Think about the following things. They will make it easier to write the letter.
- What are your intentions?
- Do you want to inform a group of people?
- Do you want certain actions explained or justified?
Helpful Hints
- Be brief – Even if the issue is complex, two paragraphs should be enough. The letter should be no more than a page.
- Be factual – Make sure you can back up your arguments with facts and include all the relevant information.
- Request a reply – Ask (politely) for a response to your letter. This creates a dialogue between you and the other person and encourages follow through on their side.
- Who are you? – Clearly identify who you are in the letter and on the envelope. If you are writing on behalf of a group it helps to identify who the group is and your position in it.
- Always – Include a return address so they can respond.
Here is a sample letter to the GAP in regards to their use of sweatshop labour that encourages them to pay a living wage:
Donald Fisher, Chairman
The Gap, Inc.
One Harrison St.
San Francisco, CA 94105Dear Mr. Fisher,As a Gap Customer, I want to express my concern about the sweatshop conditions and labour abuses on the island of Saipan. As a global company contracting in dozens of countries worldwide, the Gap has an obligation to its customers and its workers to reverse the race to the bottom in labour standards that is occurring in the garment industry.
In Saipan, the Gap has a responsibility to lead the way towards ending labour and human rights abuses by taking steps to:
Protect workers’ rights, including the freedom of association and collective bargaining.
Abolish the use of labour contracts that deny workers their basic human rights.
Ban the collection of recruitment fees and create a trust fund to repay such fees for all present or former workers, and pay return passage for any present or former worker who wishes to return home.
Set up a credible, enforceable independent monitoring system, with semiannual public reports, to ensure an end to all labour, health and safety abuses.
I thank you for your attention to this urgent matter and look forward to hearing your response.
Sincerely,
Where are they? Tracking down that politician.
There are a couple of services that hook you up with online connections to your politicians. To find your Member of Parliament try here.
To find your MLA go here.
To contact Mayor Gregor Robertson the Mayor of Vancouver regarding Municipal Affairs write to him:
Mayor Gregor Robertson
City Hall
453 W 12th Ave.
Vancouver, BC
V5Y 1V4
Phone: 604-873-7621
Fax: 604-873-7685
Email: gregor.robertson@vancouver.ca
