Protect Our Food Act: Grassroots Lobbying Guide

Corporate conglomerates and wealthy bad actors keep paid lobbyists on retainer to push their agendas. To beat them, we need our own grassroots lobby. This guide will help you meet with your local elected officials to demand action and hold them accountable on Bill 21.

Step 1: Schedule your visit 

Email your provincial Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) to request a meeting about passing Bill 21. You can also target local city council members to push for a municipal resolution supporting the bill. Call the constituency office if you do not get a timely response to your email. 

MPPs are typically in their home ridings rather than at the Legislature during the summer break, making them highly available to meet constituents. City council members are often eager to meet personally as they gear up for municipal elections this Fall. 

If the official is unavailable, press for a meeting with a staffer. Staffers are often highly influential, advise electeds on which issues to prioritize, and are required to report constituent feedback back to the member.

Step 2: Attend your visit

Focus on having a genuine conversation rather than simply reading off a script. Make a personal connection by sharing how Bill 21 directly impacts you and your local community. You may refer to the following key talking points:

• Threats to Farmland: Aggregate extraction is currently one of the primary threats to Ontario’s farmland.
• The Business Ecosystem: Farmland is not just for growing crops; it supports a complex ecosystem that includes processing, veterinary services, greenhouses, and local markets.
• Contiguous Land: We must preserve geographically contiguous land so farmers can safely move equipment between fields and keep the agri-food business ecosystem viable.
• Regional Nuance: Rural municipalities have vastly different needs than the GTA and other metropolitan areas.
• Local Autonomy: More top-down provincial oversight and regulation is not what municipalities need right now.

Before you leave, you must make a clear demand, and get a direct response. If meeting an MPP, ask them directly to support the passage of Bill 21. If meeting a council member, ask them to pass a city council resolution supporting Bill 21 and to advocate for its passage to your local MPP. Take notes during the meeting to record their specific reactions and commitments.      

Step 3: Report back & follow up

Even if the representative does not agree to your demand, your meeting is still a vital step in our collective advocacy efforts. Share your notes and what you learned from the meeting with the GPO. Find a reason to send a follow-up message to the member—regardless of how they responded—to keep the line of communication open and continue building the relationship.