Collect signatures and have your petition
presented in the House of Commons
Through the petition challenge, Members of Parliament (MPs) from across the country will present petitions in the House of Commons about the situation in Darfur/Sudan. The objective is to make sure that all of Canada’s most important political figures are encouraged to take action for Darfur/Sudan.
Politicians need to know that Canadians have not forgotten about the terrible situation in Darfur and the threat of a catastrophic war between North and South Sudan. The petition campaign serves this purpose by asking the Canadian government to sustain and increase its commitments to peace in Sudan.
Asking your Member of Parliament (MP) to present a petition is the easiest way to make sure your concerns are heard by Prime Minister Harper and other influential politicians. Please help us to collect petition signatures or to get MPs to present them.
Here is how to participate in 5 easy steps:
1. Print off the petition and collect signatures. A minimum of 25 signatures need to be collected for each petition that is presented by an MP. (If you would like to collect less than 25 signatures, please send them to us, so that we can combine them with others.)
2. Contact your MP by phone or email to ask them for a meeting. Your can find your MP by going to this link, and entering your postal code. (Or, if you choose not to contact your MP, you can send us your petition and we will find an MP to present it).
3. You will notice that the petition has one optional column where people can provide their email address if they want to receive updates by email from the Darfur/Sudan Peace Network (once every 4 to 8 weeks). Please send us a scanned copy of the petition or a high quality photocopy so that we can record these people’s email addresses.
4. When you meet with your MP, ask them present your petition in the House of Commons. Most MPs will be happy to do so.
5. We would be happy to talk or email with you before or after the meeting to help you prepare and to know how it goes.
Additional information:
It’s usually fairly easy to get a meeting with your MP, and most are willing to present a petition on your behalf. It is part of your MP’s job to meet with people from their riding and they want you to like them and to vote for them. However, it can still feel intimidating to request a meeting if you have never done it before. Please contact us at info@sudan.peacenetwork.ca or at 514-935-8806 if you would like us to provide advice and assistance by email or phone.
If you would like to collect signatures, but are unable to get a meeting with your MP, or if you are uninterested in doing so, we can still get your petition presented by another MP. It is not required that all those who sign a petition are in the same MP’s riding. Click on the link below for more things you should know before collecting signatures.
