Selected Primary Sources and their Finding Aids: What Is
Happening Now -- Your Own Experience: Getting Involved in Government
and Politics
As a citizen in a democracy
it is your right and duty to be informed of what your government is
doing. We are fortunate in Canada that the concept of "open
government" is one that is being upheld to some extent. Many of
the tools and resources identified in this guide are created and
paid for by the government and are made available to you so that you
can learn about Canadian government and politics and can keep
yourself informed on an ongoing basis. Most of the sources
identified are available to you for free in public and academic
libraries and on the Internet. Use these sources to learn as much as
you can about an issue before you attempt to influence policy or
make your views known. Go beyond your favourite news source,
consider alternative views and get the facts. Being well informed is
the first and most important step in getting involved in government
and politics.
Going the extra step to participate in government and politics is
a logical step for any informed citizen but one that can be very
rewarding from a research perspective as well. Getting involved is
likely to provide you with richer insights and a deeper
understanding of Canadian government and politics which should
enrich any research project on the subject.
Getting involved in government or politics for the first time may
be easiest to do at the local level. See Special Topics: Provincial /
Municipal Government and Politics for tips on participating in
local government and politics.
The following are some ideas for getting involved and some
sources of information to help you do it:
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| Getting Involved In Government
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- Petition the Government. A public petition is a
formal request for government action on an issue of concern.
Members of the public are not allowed to address the House
of Commons directly, so you must ask a Member of Parliament
to agree to present the petition to Parliament. There is a
specific format recommended and other rules that need to be
followed (e.g. at least 25 signatures are required). For
details see: Petitions Practical Guide. House of Commons. Sept. 2006. 14 p. http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/process/house/Petitions/petitionsPG2006__cover-e.htm
- Ask to Appear Before a Committee. Senate and
House Committees frequently invite knowledgeable people
(usually representatives of groups, public officials or
experts) to provide information on the topic under study. If
you know of an upcoming committee meeting in which an issue
of interest to you will be considered, you can request to
appear. For more details see:
A Guide for
Witnesses Appearing Before Committees of the House of
Commons. http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/process/house/WitnessesGuides/witness-e.htm
A Guide for Witnesses Appearing Before Senate
Committees. http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/3/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-E/pub-E/witness-e.htm
Taking it to the Hill: The Complete Guide to
Appearing Before (and Surviving) Parliamentary
Committees. By David McInnes. Ottawa: University of
Ottawa Press, 2005. 2nd ed. 264 p. (A very useful how-to book full
of tips and advice from an experienced lobbyist and people
in government. It also explains, in a very readable way, the
parliamentary process, rules, and other background
information one should know before getting involved.
Required reading for lobbyists and all those who attempt to
get heard by a federal government committee.)
- Submit a Brief to a Committee. A brief is a
written presentation outlining the position of an
individual, group or organization on a particular issue. For
details see the guide to preparing briefs: Preparing a
Submission to a House of Commons Committee. http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/process/house/WitnessesGuides/guide-brief-e.htm
- Respond to Consultations. Federal government
departments and agencies consult the public in various ways,
from formal consultations to discussion papers with calls for input, surveys and
questionnaires, and feedback forms on their web sites. You
can help influence policy by taking advantage of these
opportunities for providing your views. Two web sites bring
some of these together: Consulting with Canadians
http://www.consultingcanadians.gc.ca/
and Public Participation http://www.canada.gc.ca/form/transac_e.html
- Volunteer. Find a group that lobbies government
and represents your interests or point of view on an issue
and volunteer your time to help them out.
- Make a Donation. Donate money to an interest
group, think tank or other organization that shares your
views and can lobby for issues as you would if you had the
time. In most cases the donation will be tax
deductible.
- Ask Questions. Take advantage of phone-in
programs (e.g. on CPAC, CBC, etc.) to ask government
officials and politicians about the issues that concern you.
- Contact Opposition Critics. Opposition party critics are responsible for critiquing the government's policies or lack thereof regarding their area(s) of responsibility. Sending them information and questions to ask in Question Period on a timely issue, proposed bill or topic under discussion in the House of Commons can help them do their job more effectively. To see a list of opposition critics by area of responsibility see Members of the Cabinet, Parliamentary Secretaries and Opposition Party Critics http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/HouseofCommons/MinistryMembers.aspx
- Get a Job. There are several programs that help
youth gain knowledge and experience by working in government
(e.g. as a page in the House of Commons and Senate, as a
Parliamentary Guide, or in various internships and student
work programs in government departments and agencies). For
jobs in Parliament see the Parliamentary Web Site
under "About Parliament", then "Youth Programs". For internships in any kind of federal government office see the Federal Public Sector Youth Internship Program. For anyone interested in a job or career in the federal government see the Public Service Commission of Canada's
jobs.gc.ca
web site. Higher level vacancies in government agencies, boards, commissions and Crown corporations are advertised at the Governor in Council Appointments site.
- Contact your Member of Parliament. Phone, fax,
e-mail, or write your Member of Parliament (no postage
required) and let them know what concerns you. If you don't
know who your MP is, many government web sites offer a quick
online form where you can enter your postal code to find
out. See the Canada site
under "Contact Your MP" or the Elections Canada site
under "Voter Information Service". Your MP is supposed to represent you and your neighbours in the riding so should be interested in hearing from you. You can see how he/she voted on bills that concern you in the House of Commons Journals - votes are listed under the heading "Divisions, recorded" in the Journals Index available on the Parliamentary web site (select "Chamber Business", then "House of Commons").
- Invite an MP to your Event. If you or your organization are planning an event to publicize an issue of concern, ask your Member of Parliament (or the Minister responsible for the issue) to attend the event, either as a speaker or not.
- Contact the Minister Responsible. If your issue of concern comes under the responsibility of a federal Minister, write a letter and provide any information you can to help inform the Minister of the issue. See the current List of Ministers with their portfolio and a more detailed version: The Ministry and its Responsibilities. (Clicking on the name of the Minister leads to contact information.)
- Provide feedback on services or programs you use or policies that affect you. Most services and programs have web pages with online web forms and other ways to contact them. Let the service providers or officials responsible for the program know how it affects you. They need to know from those most affected to be able to improve, or in some cases, continue providing the service.
- Contact the Prime Minister. As above with any other Minister
or government official appropriate for your questions,
comments or concerns, you are invited to "Contact the PM"
on the Prime Minister's
web site. Although the Prime Minister may never see it or reply, well written letters are noted and give the Prime Minister's office an idea of the extent of public concern on an issue.
See What's
Happening Now -- Contacting People for tools to find
contact information if it is not so obvious.
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| Getting Involved in Politics
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- Attend Candidates' Meetings. Find out what the
candidates in your riding stand for and let them know what
issues are important to you.
- Find Out What Each Political Party Stands For.
Read their platforms, principles, or other statements of
their philosophy and their campaign materials. Check out
their web sites. See the List of Registered Political
Parties and Parties Eligible for Registration on the Elections Canada web
site for contact information and a link to the party web
sites. Select "Political Parties, Candidates and Others",
then "Information for the Public".
- Join a Political Party. Each party has its own
criteria for joining, usually including a small fee. As a
member of the party you can participate in developing the
party's policies, hold positions in the party and vote for
the next leader.
- Contact Your Local Federal Riding Association.
Find out what events are planned. In an election year you
can be involved in selecting the local candidate to run in
that riding. See the Elections Canada web
site for contact information. Select "Political Parties,
Candidates and Others" then "List of Electoral District
Associations".
- Join a Political Party Club or Organization.
These are groups within political parties that help form
local clubs, develop policy and resolutions on issues of
relevance to their members and can bring these to the
national party meetings or conventions. Examples are Young
Liberals of Canada, Senior Liberals'Commission, National
Women's Liberal Commission, etc.
- Volunteer. Especially in an election year,
political parties rely on an army of volunteers to help out
in candidates' offices or with their election campaign, but
at other times too, volunteers make significant
contributions and gain valuable experience.
- Make a Donation. Contributions to a political
party are tax deductible. For details see Political
Contributions by Individuals - New Rules on January 1,
2004 on the Elections
Canada web site. Select "General Information" then
"Backgrounders". See also other "Information Sheets" on
different ways to contribute and limits on contributing
under "Political Parties, Candidates and Others" then
"Political Parties".
- Run for Election. If you are a Canadian citizen
18 years or older, you are likely eligible to stand as a
candidate in a federal election. See Important
Considerations for Prospective Candidates on the Elections Canada web
site. Select "Political Parties, Candidates and Others" then
"Candidates".
- Vote. If you are a Canadian citizen 18 years or
older, you are likely eligible to vote in a federal
election. For details see the Frequently Asked
Questions page on the Elections Canada web
site. Select "Young Voters" then "Election Basics".
- Be Political. Join groups of any kind that stand
for issues you believe in. Listen, learn, and speak out.
Learn what it takes to become an effective speaker, to
influence opinion and to achieve results.
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