Meeting with Your Elected Official
A face-to-face meeting with your MP, or a member of their staff, is a compelling and memorable way to raise their level of understanding about dementia.
It is a proven fact that elected officials listen to voters, and you have a right to lobby them on half of the people with dementia and their families.
Setting up a Meeting
Before the Meeting
At the Meeting
After the Meeting
Setting up a Meeting
When the House of Commons is in session, federal legislators are usually in Ottawa. Before trying to arrange a meeting with your local MP, you should consult the House of Commons parliamentary calendar to find out the dates when the house is in session.
When the house is not in session, MPs usually travel back to their home communities and are available to meet with constituents. To set up a meeting, you should contact their local constituency office. If you do wish to meet your MP in Ottawa, contact their Ottawa office. (You can find both numbers on the Government of Canada's website by typing your postal code into the search box)
Tell the person who is scheduling the appointment that you would like to talk about the importance of making dementia a national health priority in Canada. Make sure you let them know that you are a constituent. Express an awareness of your MPs busy schedule, and request a 15 to 20 min meeting.
Before the Meeting
It is important to go to the meeting prepared.
Some suggestions are:
- Determine if your MP has taken an official position on dementia care and research, or has a personal connection to the disease. Many MPs have websites which can be a good source of information.
- Know as much as possible about your MP before you go. Do they sit on any relevant committees? Do they represent the party in power, or are they members of the opposition? A little research can go a long way.
- Prepare an agenda. If you are going with one or two other people, determine who will speak, and in what order
- Review the Alzheimer Society of Canada's issues and talking points.
- Remember that personal stories are powerful. If you have one, don't be afraid to share it.
- Practice what you are going to say. Keep it short and to the point. Plan to talk for no more than 15 minutes, allowing some time for questions after your presentation.
- Prepare packages of information to leave behind using the fact sheets available on the Alzheimer Society of Canada website. Make sure you leave your contact information in the kit. (If you would like additional information or brochures for your kits, please e-mail your request to advocacy@alzheimer.ca.)
At the Meeting
Plan to arrive at least five minutes before the meeting.
It is important to know you may meet with a staff member instead of the MP. Do not take this personally, and do not express disappointment. Staff often specialize in specific issue areas, and will relay your issues and concerns to the MP.
During your meeting, you should:
- Stick to your agenda. Try not to go over the allocated time, or you won't have time to answer questions from the MP or their staff.
- Be compelling. Make sure your MP or their staff knows why dementia care and research is an important issue to you, and why it should be an important issue to them.
- Don't guess. If you do not have an answer, offer to follow up after the meeting.
- Offer to act as a future resource, and let the MP know that they can call on you for input or advice in the future if they wish.
- Thank each participant for their time.
After the Meeting
After your meeting, it is important to send a thank you note. This note should briefly restate your position, and discuss any commitments your MP or their staff made during the meeting.
It is also important to stay in touch with your MP or their staff, providing updates on the dementia care and research.
Help us keep track of your advocacy efforts – keep us informed about any meetings you may have with your MP by e-mailing us at advocacy@alzheimer.ca.
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