Sample letters are a great starting point, but make sure to make the letter your own. I'm told by a government employee friend that ministers don't pay much attention to form letters or letter writing campaigns, only to individual letters. So make it yours!
June 22, 2018
Mark Gerretsen
841 Princess Street (Main Office)
Kingston, Ontario
K7L 1G7
Dear Mr. Gerretsen,
Donald Trump’s administration has been targeting marginalized and vulnerable migrants since he took office, first with his immigration ban and now with his heartless policy of separating migrant children from their parents. Canada cannot stand by while children are being forcibly taken away from their parents south of the border, and Canadian officials cannot continue to send migrants to a country where they may be subject to inhumane treatment, be separated from their children, or be deported back into violent situations. Canada must suspend the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States immediately.
Only countries that respect human rights and offer a high degree of protection to asylum seekers may be designated as safe third countries. Section 102 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act states that the United States maintains its status as a safe third country for asylum seekers subject to a review of its human rights record. Meticulous review is not needed when 2,300 children are being held in cages separate from their parents. U.S Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently announced that women fleeing domestic violence will not be eligible for refugee status, leaving these women in danger of being returned to violent situations if they are sent to the United States. The United States is unambiguously unsafe for migrants under the current administration and Canada must act now to stop the flow of migrants into an unsafe situation via the Safe Third Country Agreement and to publicly denounce the Trump administration’s treatment of migrants and asylum seekers.
Will the Trudeau government be complicit in the United States’ dehumanizing immigration policies or will we as a country stand up for the rights of some of the world's most vulnerable people? I urge you to call for the immediate suspension of the Safe Third Country Agreement.
I look forward to your reply.
Yours,
Cat London
Mark Gerretsen
841 Princess Street (Main Office)
Kingston, Ontario
K7L 1G7
Dear Mr. Gerretsen,
Donald Trump’s administration has been targeting marginalized and vulnerable migrants since he took office, first with his immigration ban and now with his heartless policy of separating migrant children from their parents. Canada cannot stand by while children are being forcibly taken away from their parents south of the border, and Canadian officials cannot continue to send migrants to a country where they may be subject to inhumane treatment, be separated from their children, or be deported back into violent situations. Canada must suspend the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States immediately.
Only countries that respect human rights and offer a high degree of protection to asylum seekers may be designated as safe third countries. Section 102 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act states that the United States maintains its status as a safe third country for asylum seekers subject to a review of its human rights record. Meticulous review is not needed when 2,300 children are being held in cages separate from their parents. U.S Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently announced that women fleeing domestic violence will not be eligible for refugee status, leaving these women in danger of being returned to violent situations if they are sent to the United States. The United States is unambiguously unsafe for migrants under the current administration and Canada must act now to stop the flow of migrants into an unsafe situation via the Safe Third Country Agreement and to publicly denounce the Trump administration’s treatment of migrants and asylum seekers.
Will the Trudeau government be complicit in the United States’ dehumanizing immigration policies or will we as a country stand up for the rights of some of the world's most vulnerable people? I urge you to call for the immediate suspension of the Safe Third Country Agreement.
I look forward to your reply.
Yours,
Cat London