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Civil Rights in Public Education www.CRIPEweb.org |
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Persistent letter writing can do the job. As Alan Borovoy once said: "Don't make the mistake of relying on rational argument to win whatever political fight you are in; the key to it is pressure. Lawful, granted, but nevertheless unpleasant pressure. That's what people listen to in the real world and it's a mistake to think otherwise." [CBC's Morningside, 12/27/88] Suggestions for letter writing 1. You don't need a computer, or even a typewriter; your own legible handwriting is just fine. Your letter should be no longer than one page. 2. Address your letter correctly. See addresses below. 3. Identify yourself clearly. 4. Identify the issue clearly. 5. Be candid, concise, and logical. Explain why you, personally, have an interest in the issue. 6. Address a copy of your letter to each of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Justice. Copy your letters to others. 7. Keep writing - don't ever let them forget that you are holding them to a promise made to us, by acceding to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 8. They hope you will forget about everything and go away - so don't go away - keep writing. Use the following points plus information in this web site. Some will tell you, in a form letter (they have received a good deal of correspondence on this issue) that "education is a provincial responsibility." Tell them you know that, but that compliance with human rights issues relating to the Covenant is a federal responsibility, and this is a human rights issue - not an education issue. Tell them, in your follow-up second letter, that the federal government only, is responsible to the United Nations to uphold the terms of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The federal government alone is responsible to the UN, and to us, to provide an “effective and enforceable remedy” for the violation. The UN is not concerned about Ontario, CANADA is responsible. Tell them that, under our constitution,
the federal government, a provincial government, or the Senate, may initiate
a change to the constitution. Tell them that Article 2(2) of the International
Covenant requires “each State Party to the present Covenant .... to take
the necessary steps, in accordance with its constitutional processes and
with the provisions of the present Covenant, to adopt such legislative
or other measures as may be necessary to give effect to the rights recognized
in the present Covenant.”
How to address your letters Federal Since the federal government is responsible to the United Nations for upholding the terms of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, we suggest the following persons as those to whom a letter is appropriate: Be sure to send a copy to your riding's MP. For your MP's name and address, look under Members of Parliament in the Government of Canada blue pages in your phone book. All names below have the same address: E-mail addresses to MPs are always the
first five letters of the surname followed by the first initial, then Letters to MPs or Senators do not require postage stamps. Send your message to the following persons: The Minister of Foreign Affairs The Minister of Justice Leaders of the opposition parties
The current names
for the above positions may be found by viewing www.canada.gc.ca. Provincial We suggest that your primary provincial
letters should go to the Minister of Education and the leaders and education critics
of the other parties, plus your own MPP. Names may be found on the Ontario government
web page at www.gov.on.ca. Look under Members of Provincial Parliament.
Canada Post letters to MPPs require regular first class postage.
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