HOW TO INFLUENCE YOUR MP
... AS PRESENTED AT THE ANNUAL PRO-LIFE CONVENTION
IN CHARLOTTETOWN, 1997

The Golden Rule:

You do not have to agree with your representative's political or personal beliefs, but he/she is there on the legislative battle field, and we should regard it as an opportunity, not to beat them over the head with arguments, but rather, to proceed with them "One on one, heart to heart." This Can Be Done By:

• Making good use of the time between elections, when politicians have time to listen.
• Making maximum use of the manpower and goodwill in the wider community, by forming many "rainbow coalitions" -- temporary alliances with other individuals or groups who share some of our values, in order to achieve certain well defined objectives. It's important that we cultivate not just coalitions to intervene in Supreme Court cases, but alliances on much smaller, more local levels as well.
• Encouraging pro-life/family politicians to bring forward private members' bills. While less likely to pass, they serve to raise important issues, to draw out other supporters, and to get the vote on the record.
• Remembering that politicians are people, like you, doing a difficult job. Our pro-life and pro-family politicians in particular are under great pressure from many sources. Many pro-life/family politicians say they feel like we abandon them between election campaigns. It's crucially important that they know they have our continued support.
• Not just communicating with the elected representatives whom we know are on our own wavelength. It's crucially important to build bridges to the others. The Senator who doesn't quite see eye to eye with us on everything right now, may be casting a deciding vote when euthanasia issues arrive in the Senate again, as they surely will during this session. We shouldn't wait until then, but should work hard to build bridges right now.

Among many practical suggestions made at the Convention:

• "Adopt a politician" -- or two or three.
• Pray often for your "adoptees".
• Pay particular attention to what they do and say, not just among the people that elected them, but also in Ottawa or in the provincial house.
• Praise them every time they take a good moral and ethical stand on any issue. Just a postcard, a note, or a phone call saying "Good Work" will make a vast difference to them.
• Praise them for doing a good job in other work they're trying to do for Canada. Just send a little note saying, "I saw what you did regarding... Keep up the good work."
• Feed them information on their other major concerns (fisheries, agriculture, environment or whatever). For example, if you come across a pertinent article, send a copy with a little note saying, "You might find this useful."

Such relationships set the stage for direct face-to-face lobbying which will be much more effective if we aren't belligerent, antagonistic or contentious. In face-to-face lobbying, it is important to go often, presenting a single point, not a list, in each brief visit.

None of this suggests that we compromise our values. We still have to uphold the truth. But our elected representatives will be more receptive and pay more attention if we've already established an ongoing relationship through regular communication.

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