Senator André Pratte introduced Bill C-71 into the Senate on September 25, 2018, and opened Second Reading debate on September 27, using every disingenuous Liberal talking point – like the Danforth murderer’s illegal handgun – as rationale for further restricting licensed firearm owners.
Bill C-71 must pass three readings in the Senate and a committee process, just as it did in the House of Commons.
We must ensure every Senator knows how we feel about this legislation and why piling more restrictions on those who don’t commit crime will never stop those who do.
If we expect politicians to fight for us, we must prove we’re worth the time.
Write a letter to every Senator. Form letters won’t cut it. The Senators tell us that repeatedly. Write your own letter, and send it to every Senator by email or Canada Post.
Then encourage all your friends to write their own letters and mail them, too.
Our fight is not won or lost in a single day, be it Election Day or any other. It is won or lost by how hard we’re willing to fight for what we believe in, each and every day.
Why write to the Senate?
Over the past three years, Senators have shown a far greater willingness to amend government bills than our MPs in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister can’t strip them of their Senate seats, making them far more amenable to common sense and far less affected by partisanship. It is in the Senate we believe resolutions could pass, dramatically reducing the harm of this legislation.
As part of our ongoing education process, we shipped every Senator a paperback copy of The Bill C-71 Book in early July. This book details the many faults of the bill and explains the unexpected consequences of the worst parts of it.
Although many Senators expressed their gratitude, that’s not enough. Yes, we work tirelessly to communicate with politicians, but we need your help to lend weight to our message. To that end, here are three ways to make your voice heard at the Senate level.
- Write a Letter to Every Senator
Your letter to the Senate does not need to be long and involved. It does, however, need to be original. Form letters do not make a positive impact.
“I notice that on this bill as with others, we receive the same e-mail several times from different people. In my opinion, these form e-mails are not very effective. In my view at least, I far prefer when a citizen writes their own text to express their ideas,” said Senator Pratte during his interview with TheGunBlog.ca.
Explain, simply and clearly, what you believe is wrong with this legislation and send an email copy to every Senator.
Better yet, contact the Senators for your province and urge them to scrap Bill C-71 or, at the very least, amend the bill as suggested by Blaine Calkins and Glen Motz during the House SECU Committee meetings.
If you find letter writing an unpleasant or difficult task, use a section from The Bill C-71 Book to make your point. If you have not done so already, download your free copy from https://StopC71.com/download. The book provides many examples of why Bill C-71 is bad legislation. Copy your favourite example into the body of your letter and send it to every Senator in the upper chamber.
We’re also told that email is as good as sending a physical letter.
For a complete list of every Senator, visit https://sencanada.ca/en/contact-information/
For your convenience, here are links to the Senate contact list in Open Document and Microsoft Excel spreadsheet formats:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/CSSA/PDF/Senator-of-Canada-Contact-List.ods
https://s3.amazonaws.com/CSSA/PDF/Senator-of-Canada-Contact-List.xlsx
If you prefer to mail physical letters, address your letter to each Senator in this format:
[Name of Senator], Senator
The Senate of Canada
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A4
Senate Committee Unknown
Unfortunately, we still don’t know which committee will hold hearings on Bill C-71. The Bill’s sponsor, Senator André Pratte, sits on the Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs (LCJC). When contacted, the Senate said the decision had not been made yet, but the staffer said he believed the Standing Committee on National Security and Defence (SECD) would take on Bill C-71.
As soon as we know, we will provide you contact information for the chair, vice-chairs and members of the committee.
- The Tone of Your Letter is Important
While it may feel therapeutic to send angry letters to politicians about bad laws like Bill C-71, those letters only re-enforce the stereotype of gun owners as angry and dangerous. They do not influence anyone the way we want.
To make a positive impact, we must write thoughtful letters with polite, yet firm language. Be honest when you express how this law will affect you and your family and be respectful.
A polite and respectful tone gives your letter a far greater chance of being read, and therefore, deliver the results we want.
Use the lists above to send your email directly to each Senator.
- Encourage Your Friends to Get Involved too
Politics is a team sport and no single group or person can win this fight on their own. If you own a gun, no matter what kind, this battle for our rights and our property affects you.
Some say, “Bill C-71 is a done deal. The Liberals control the Senate. This is just a waste of time.”
Perhaps. But elections are not won or lost on Election Day. They are won or lost by the actions we take every day in between.
Yes, we can sit back, wring our hands and do nothing. If we do, we’ll get exactly what we deserve – legislation that strips us of our rights and our property.
Here at the CSSA, we cannot and will not sit idly by while the government chips away at our freedoms. That’s why we sponsored The Bill C-71 Book and sent paperback copies of it to every single Senator. It’s why we meet with Senators on a regular basis, to educate them about what this law really means – not what the Prime Minister says it means.
But our efforts rely upon Senators hearing from you, the gun owner directly impacted by this legislation.
Download your free copy of The Bill C-71 Book from https://StopC71.com.download. Then write your letter and send it to every Senator, preferably by email.
Your children and your grandchildren will thank you.
Sources:
[i] https://sencanada.ca/en/content/sen/chamber/421/debates/231db_2018-09-27-e?language=e#47
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