Liberals: justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca, Bill.Morneau@parl.gc.ca, Filomena.Tassi@parl.gc.ca, Bob.Bratina@parl.gc.ca, wayne.easter@parl.gc.ca, Ahmed.Hussen@parl.gc.ca
Note: Cut and paste that whole block of addresses into the “To” field of your email. Send separate emails for the Liberals and for the NDP.
Note 2: Wayne Easter is the Chair of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Finance. Tassi and Bratina are local Liberal MPs. Ahmed Hussen is the minister responsible for housing and social programs.
New Democrats: peter.julian@parl.gc.ca, Jenny.Kwan@parl.gc.ca, Jagmeet.Singh@parl.gc.ca, Matthew.Green@parl.gc.ca, Scott.Duvall@parl.gc.ca
Note: Cut and paste that whole block of addresses into the “To” field of your email.
Note 2: Peter Julian is the NDP critic for Finance. Jenny Kwan is the NDP critic for Housing, and also an Associate Member of the Standing Committee on Finance. Jagmeet Singh in the NDP Leader, and Green and Duvall are local NDP MPs who are also Associate Members of the Finance Committee.
Sample letters: Use these as a model. Use your own words, refer to your own situation and to the housing needs of yourself, relatives, friends or the community, to make the point about need.
Sample 1
Dear Prime Minister and Liberal MPs,
I am concerned about the lack of rental housing units that are affordable to average and low-income people in Hamilton. Although my husband and I own our own home, our adult children and many of our younger acquaintances cannot find decent rental apartments that they can afford, even though they are working. High rents make it impossible to save, let alone save enough to even imagine buying a home someday. I strongly urge your government to significant increase funding for affordable rental housing.
Sincerely,
Susan Voter
Hamilton, ON
Sample 2
Dear Prime Minister and Liberal MPs,
I’m a single senior, currently paying about half my monthly income on rent for a modest one-bedroom apartment. I strongly urge your government to significantly increase funding for rental housing that the bottom 40 percent of the population can afford. We need stable decent housing. I also think this would be a good investment, because it would create jobs and stimulate the economy. In the coming years, if my housing were more affordable, I would have more money to spend in the local economy every month, which would help the small local businesses too.
Sincerely,
Mabel Smith
Hamilton, ON.
Sample 3
Dear Jagmeet Singh and NDP MPs,
Please do your utmost to convince the government to make affordable rental housing for average and low-income people a top priority in the coming budget. Although my wife and I have adequate housing, our adult children and many of our younger acquaintances cannot find anything they can genuinely afford, even though they are working. They need one- and two-bedroom apartments now. Private landlords are now asking for $1,700 for smallish one-bedroom units.
This is a crisis. Hamilton used to be affordable, but isn’t anymore. I hope you will speak up. Housing is fundamental. Everyone deserves a decent affordable place to live.
Sincerely,
Joe Blow
Hamilton, ON
Sample 4
Dear Jagmeet Singh and NDP MPs,
I’m a single senior, spending close to half my monthly income on rent. Hamilton used to be affordable, but no longer is for average and low-income people. Friends hunting for apartments tell me that landlords are now asking for $1,700 or more for small one-bedroom apartments in central Hamilton.
Please fight hard for a major increase in government funding for affordable not-for-profit housing. I hope that the NDP will make housing a priority when you are negotiating the budget with the Liberals. I also hope that you will encourage the government to earmark a good chunk of the money for the expansion of housing co-ops. I think I’d rather live in a co-op than in a public housing project tower.
Everyone deserves a home. Many people have lost their jobs or had their hours cut due to COVID. It’s just about impossible for people to stay mentally and physically healthy if they anticipate being evicted in the near future to make way for high-end condo development.
Sincerely yours,
Mabel Smith
Hamilton, ON