Phone Calls

 

If a picture paints a thousand words, a phone call – made from your trusty landline, of course – equals a hundred email messages. Maybe time is short or an issue is very pressing. Or maybe you know that sharing a written opinion cannot equal the power of a genuine conversation.  

Calling Elected Officials

Step One: Make Your Contact List

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s how to find the phone numbers you’ll need: 

Federal

MPS

      • Dial the Canadian Government Public Information Office at (613) 992-4793, give the name of your MP, and ask to be connected with her or his Ottawa office.
      • Or use these handy tools:
        • If you don’t know who your MP is use the Canada MP Finder
        • Once you have a name, This Directory lists the phone numbers for your MP’s Parliament Hill and Constituency offices

Cabinet Ministers

      • Choose the Ministry you want to communicate with and use This Directory to call them:

Senators

Provincial

MLAs

      • Do a web search “How to find my MLA” for your Province or territory.

  Municipal 

Mayor and Council       

      • Look in your local phone book and call town hall or do a web search.

Step Two:  Plan Ahead

    • Have a clear, specific idea of what you want your telephone call to achieve.
    • Write the main points down and, if needed, refer to them when you make your call.
    • Be prepared with clearly organized facts and information at your fingertips
    • Recognize that kind and inclusive language is more likely to win allies.
    • State exactly what action you want taken on the issue.

 

Step Three: Make the Call

Prepare Yourself for a Positive Outcome….

1. Start at the beginning, just like you would in a letter. The person you are talking to may have just gotten off the phone with another constituent who had a very different concern.

2. Ask questions to create relationship and find common ground.. (Learn more Here.)

3. Imagine the official you are speaking with doesn’t know much about 5G but has been told it is good so is ready to adopt it.Telling is rarely effective communication but the skillful use of discovery questions is. (How ? When? What? Where? Why?) 

4. Ask a question that contains one of the key words. For example:

      • How do you plan to safeguard our community to the foreseeable risks of 5G? 
      • Why do you think 5G is safe?

5. Flattery will get you everywhere. Like all of us, elected officials need to know they matter.

Here is a suggestion of what you could say to motivate and encourage your elected representative:

” Is there any way you can raise this issue on the Floor, in Council, etc ? Could you also give your opinion on this issue in a letter that includes your personal signature?   When your constituents, who may now be largely unaware of the risks of chronic exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation emitted by wireless technology, become aware and recognize you took the lead to wire the last mile and ensure their health, this may go down in history as your finest moment.”

Step 4: What if they’re “Not Home”?

1. Don’t be disappointed if the person you are calling is not available.Ask to speak with the assistant who handles the subject of your interest. If neither the elected official nor the relevant staff members are available, you can ask for a return call or leave a brief message, such as, “My name is Dr. Jane Jones and I am a professor of psychology at the University of Hometown. I am calling to ask for your support on…”. Be prepared to give your address or telephone number in case he or she wants to respond.

2. Be persistent but courteous.You may have to call back several times before you get through to either the staff person or the elected official. 

 

Calling Other Community Members

Phone Campaigns are a strategic approach best used for a very specific goal, that involves calling constituents where you live, and asking them to call elected officials voicing their support for or concern about a specific government policy

How to Organize a Phone Campaign

1. Identify and clarify the Issue.

2. Recruit Your Telephone Teamthey do not have to be a 5G expert or activist whiz!

3. Provide them with the phone numbers they will call.

4. Give them a short script.

5. Thank them profusely!