It is important that people affected by stroke and their families advocate for change at all levels by telling their story and calling for action. People affected by stroke must expect the best possible care from prevention of stroke to reintroduction into the community. This can be approached by focussing on the best practices – explaining how people affected by stroke should be treated for the best possible outcomes. Coordinated stroke care will save lives and prevent disability if the best practices are implemented across the country. To make this happen, politicians, health policy planners, health councils and hospital boards must be aware of it.

Become an advocate and make a difference to stroke care in Canada.

Let your government representative know about the benefits of organized stroke care and the need for ongoing government investment.

You can make a difference by making your views known to your government representative – both federal and provincial. Political leaders are influenced by public opinion, and members of parliament at all levels pay attention to the issues raised in letters, meetings, phone calls and local newspapers.
Get involved by writing a letter, sending an email, or paying a visit to your federal and provincial elected representatives. Share your personal story of the challenges you, your friends or family members live with as a result of a stroke.

Contacting your political representatives

Federal Member of Parliament (MP)
You can find out who your Member of Parliament is by accessing this site and plugging in your postal code:

www.parl.gc.ca

If you are writing to your federal MP address your letter to
(Name of MP), MP,
House of Commons,
Ottawa, KIA 0A6.
Mail to the House of Commons is postage free.

Provincial Member of Parliament/ Legislative Assembly
Provincial representatives have different titles in different provinces though their function is the same:

• Ontario - MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament)
• Quebec - MNA (Member of the National Assembly)
• Newfoundland & Labrador - MHA (Member of the House of Assembly)
• MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) in all other provinces

You can find out who your representative is by going to the following sites:

When writing to your elected official
A local story personalizes the issue for the MP, and brings the impact directly home to his or her constituency. The MP is also more likely to remember and repeat a personal story than refer to statistics. Tell your story but keep it simple and short.

• Be concise – stick to one page if possible.
• Include your contact information so that you can receive a response.
• Request a specific action as well as expressing a concern.
• Copy your letter to other relevant people as appropriate (ministers, MPs, provincial or municipal representative etc).
• Include the message that we need organized and coordinated stroke care for the best possible outcomes for stroke patients.

Face To Face Meetings

A meeting with your elected representative can be very useful in getting him / her to take an active interest in your issue.

If the official is unavailable it is entirely appropriate to meet with a staff person.

If possible, invite a relevant expert or community leader to accompany you to the meeting.

Keep to the agenda and purpose of your meeting - be concise and specific.

When meeting with your elected representative, don’t feel intimidated - bear in mind that you know more about stroke than he / she does. If you find that you are cannot answer a question, offer to find out and respond after the meeting.

Take a brief, well-selected page of background information – one page is sufficient – to leave behind.

After your meeting follow up by thanking him / her for their time and restating your position.

Phone Calls

A telephone call to your elected representative is also worthwhile. You may not be able to talk to him / her directly but you can ask the member of staff to forward your concerns and request a response.

During an election

An election is an excellent opportunity to have your message heard. Candidates are usually keen to meet with constituents and hear their concerns.
Find out who are the candidates in your riding and their contact information.
You can do this by accessing www.electionscanada.ca and entering your postal code. Alternatively you can go to each party’s website and search for your candidate by postal code:

• www.conservative.ca
• www.liberal.ca
• www.ndp.ca
• www.greenparty.ca
• www.blocquebecois.org (Quebec only)

Research all the parliamentary candidates in your riding;

• Find out what they and their party have said previously about stroke or health care
• Is health mentioned in their party’s election platform?
• Do they have a personal connection to stroke?

Writing to your candidate

Your candidates will be interested to hear from you and about your story – when you tell it remember to make your message clear - we need organized and coordinated stroke care for the best possible outcomes for stroke patients.

• To increase the profile of your message, send a copy of your letters to your local newspaper.
• During the election period the candidates will be speaking publicly in your riding. This is a good opportunity to ask your questions about stroke care. Prepare your questions carefully.
• Candidates are interested in opportunities to meet with their constituents face to face. If you can get together with other people who have concerns about stroke care and invite your candidate(s) to a coffee chat or potluck dinner in someone’s home. This can be opportunity to have a meaningful discussion with your candidate who may have no knowledge about stroke. To arrange such an event contact their campaign office.
• Candidates will be actively campaigning door to door and by phone at this time. This is another opportunity to bring stroke matters to their attention. Be prepared when the doorbell or telephone rings by having a list of questions ready.
• During an election campaign there may be opportunities for you to participate in television and / or radio phone-ins and forums. Find our whether discussion topics are available in advance and if your stroke related question/ comment / story will be appropriate. Prepare your questions and comments in advance ensuring that you are brief, to the point and get to the question quickly without delivering a speech. Pay attention to other questions asked so that you don’t duplicate.
• After the election send a letter of congratulations to your new Member of Parliament and request a meeting as soon as possible so that you can continue to build a relationship and make him / her aware of the issues affecting people who have had a stroke or are at risk for one.

Writing to your local newspaper

This is another opportunity to tell your story publicly and garner support for a coordinated stroke strategy.

Letters to the Editor are short submissions generally in response to a previous item in the newspaper or social or political developments. They can be submitted by letter or email.

Opinion editorials (op-eds) are short essays. They can be more difficult to get published but can have a powerful impact. Contact information and writing guidelines including the maximum number of words can be found in the newspaper. As newspapers prefer to feature prominent people in the community, or experts on the subject, consider approaching someone like this to see if they would co-author with you.
In both cases

• Be brief, concise and stick to your point about stroke care.
• Include your story if relevant but be concise.
• Include your name, address and daytime phone number
• Re-read your letter carefully and ask someone else to proof read it before you submit it.

Don't forget about your local media. They may be a place for your story in a variety of outlets. Consider community, professional or trade newspapers, church and union newsletters, club bulletins, student radio and newspapers, community cable etc.

The Call to Action

We are asking for government support for the efforts to improve stroke prevention, treatment and rehabilitation underway across the country

Key Messages
Wherever possible, include these messages in your conversations and correspondence.

• The cost of stroke is huge;
• Most strokes are preventable and treatable;
• There is a plan to improve the health-care system;
• Governments at all levels need to invest in and commit to the plan;
• All Canadians should have access to organized stroke care by 2010.