Policy advocacy is a critical means to achieve lasting and meaningful change. It is a way to share and advance your policies and priorities with the public and government, and engage communities to bring their voices to a larger audience.
What is Advocacy?
An advocate is someone who speaks up for others. The advocate may be an individual or an organization. Advocacy involves identifying, embracing and promoting a cause. Advocacy is an effort to shape public perception or to effect change that may or may not require legislation.
The Canadian CED Network: The Art of Advocacy
Examples of ClimateFast Advocacy
Election Advocacy - Climatefast worked with other climate action groups as TeamCanada 2012 to make climate a key election issue. We encouraged candidates to sign the Fossil Fuel Pledge, distributed door hangers, flyers and buttons, and held a rally at Queens Park. Read more
Fossil Fuel Election Campaign - read more
City of Toronto Budget - read more
Become An Advocate
ClimateFast encourages everyone to become a climate advocate. Here are a few suggestions for individual actions:
Write a letter
Letters to the editor, and call-ins to talk shows can be very effective in bringing our concerns to public attention. All politicians’ offices track the letters to the editor and many shows, like CBC’s the Current, read letters on air. When a newspaper or radio show receives a number of letters or calls on an issue, this raises the likelihood they will print one. Letters in response to a current editorial or feature article, or major media story, have the most likelihood of being printed, and it helps to keep the length to 150 words or less. Learn More
Sit down with a politician
Tips for Meeting with Councillors
Resources
Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) - Advocacy Resources - includes Advocacy Toolkit, Advocacy Spectrum, and a Tip Sheet
Nonprofit Advocacy Survival Guide by Imagine Canada and Keela
An Activist’s Guide to Online Privacy and Safety by CyberGhost Research Team, posted on the Privacy Hub, Sept 13, 2021