{"id":4444,"date":"2013-10-17T11:47:21","date_gmt":"2013-10-17T15:47:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/?p=4444"},"modified":"2013-11-20T17:04:13","modified_gmt":"2013-11-20T22:04:13","slug":"being-heard-in-ottawa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/?p=4444","title":{"rendered":"Being heard in Ottawa"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>\n<w:WordDocument>\n<w:View>Normal<\/w:View>\n<w:Zoom>0<\/w:Zoom>\n<w:PunctuationKerning\/>\n<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas\/>\n<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false<\/w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>\n<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false<\/w:IgnoreMixedContent>\n<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false<\/w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>\n<w:Compatibility>\n<w:BreakWrappedTables\/>\n<w:SnapToGridInCell\/>\n<w:WrapTextWithPunct\/>\n<w:UseAsianBreakRules\/>\n<w:DontGrowAutofit\/>\n<w:UseFELayout\/>\n<\/w:Compatibility>\n<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4<\/w:BrowserLevel>\n<\/w:WordDocument>\n<\/xml><![endif]--><\/p>\n<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>\n<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState=\"false\" LatentStyleCount=\"156\">\n<\/w:LatentStyles>\n<\/xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid=\"clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D\" id=ieooui><\/object>\n\n\n\n<style>\nst1\\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }\n<\/style>\n\n<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>\n\n\n\n<style>\n \/* Style Definitions *\/\n table.MsoNormalTable\n\t{mso-style-name:\"Table Normal\";\n\tmso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;\n\tmso-tstyle-colband-size:0;\n\tmso-style-noshow:yes;\n\tmso-style-parent:\"\";\n\tmso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;\n\tmso-para-margin:0cm;\n\tmso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;\n\tmso-pagination:widow-orphan;\n\tfont-size:10.0pt;\n\tfont-family:\"Times New Roman\";\n\tmso-ansi-language:#0400;\n\tmso-fareast-language:#0400;\n\tmso-bidi-language:#0400;}\n<\/style>\n\n<![endif]--><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Georgia;\">Our Canadian Parliament resumed yesterday and, in the weeks ahead, Members of Parliament will begin their job of moving legislation through the House of Commons. MPs are back at it in Ottawa, on the Hill, and working with bureaucrats to caretake our Nation\u2019s business. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Georgia;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Georgia;\">When a group or company needs to interact with the routines found in Ottawa, it is always a challenge to get noticed by MPs and, often, it\u2019s nearly impossible to get something accomplished. (There is no wonder why out of the frustrations of communicating with politicians and bureaucrats a whole Government Relations industry has spawned.) <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Georgia;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Georgia;\">However, individuals can connect directly with \u201cgovernment\u201d and, with mindful planning and persistence, they may get things done. For those who are contemplating this mission, here are a few pointers on how to be effective when dealing with Ottawa and having your matter heard &#8211; and understood &#8211; by MPs.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Georgia;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Georgia;\"><strong><em>Introduce yourself<\/em><\/strong> &#8211; before you actually want something. Get to know office staff and gain access to MP(s) by introducing yourself and your organization\/cause. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Georgia;\"><em><strong>Write.<\/strong><\/em><span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>Put thoughtful opinions and information \u2013 and questions &#8211; on paper (don\u2019t just e-mail) and mail your MP(s). (Always write your own letters \u2013 everyone hates form letters.) Most MPs will read their mail. Staff (and some MPs) do keep track of correspondence. If your letter has useful or interesting content, the staff will likely create a reference file for future use. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Georgia;\"><em><strong>Have a specific request of your MP<\/strong><\/em>(s) when you must connect with her\/him. Be forthright and clear with what actions or information you are seeking. Attempt to make direct contact with the MP(s) and follow-up the exchange (whether it is in person or a phone conversation) with a letter of thanks. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Georgia;\"><em><strong>Understand that your matter will have to compete with MP\u2019s politics.<\/strong><\/em> There are always overriding political agendas when dealing with MPs. Therefore, you must be aware of \u201cthe politics\u201d that will impact MPs\u2019 support for or response to your issue. It is necessary to align your messages with prevailing political agendas and engage the MP(s) with their political views in mind. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Georgia;\"><em><strong>Always connect with your local MP.<\/strong><\/em> As a constituent, s\/he will be interested in what you have to say. At every opportunity visit and meet in person at your local constituency office. It helps to make a lasting impression when you make a personal connection with MPs and their staff.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Georgia;\"><em><strong>Be persistent.<\/strong><\/em> Always follow-up on any contact made with MPs and their offices. Write follow-up letters; answer any questions posed; provide further details; and, request further face time with MPs when needed. Keep volleying information into the staff and MP(s) and you will remain on their radar. With the volume of work MPs and staff have, being out-of-sight is out-of-mind. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Georgia;\"><span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Georgia;\">If you feel like you are getting nowhere and are not being taken seriously, that\u2019s when you might consider reaching out for GR assistance. Getting your message through to Parliamentarians and succeeding to \u201cmove Ottawa\u201d on any one matter (no matter how justified it is) is painstaking and agitating. Sometimes you need a sounding board and helping hand\u2026 and, even then, you will need a generous dose of patience. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our Canadian Parliament resumed yesterday and, in the weeks ahead, Members of Parliament will begin their job of moving legislation through the House of Commons. MPs are back at it in Ottawa, on the Hill, and working with bureaucrats to caretake our Nation\u2019s business. \u00a0 When a group or company needs to interact with the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[14,30],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4444"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4444"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4592,"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4444\/revisions\/4592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bygeorgejournal.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}