1) Find your MP by postal code.
http://www.lop.parl.gc.ca/ParlInfo/Compilations/HouseofCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx?Menu=HOC
2) Get an envelope, address it as follows. No need for stamps. This comes as Government Letter Free of Postage.
Hon. (Name Surname), MP
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
3) Right a letter, indicating that you as an immigrant feel that C-24 is unfair and you want it repealed. You can use this template, but I strongly advise to come up with your own wording. Sign it and drop it off at Canada Post.
Dear Mr. (Surname),
I immigrated from ________ and came to live in Canada as a Permanent Resident in 20__. Life in Canada is of course challenging for new immigrants, but on the whole we have been warmly welcomed and have not regretted our decision to immigrate.
A major concern was the passing of the previous government’s Bill C-24 which created two classes of Canadians and also made Canadian citizenship more difficult to obtain by increasing the residency requirement from 3 in 4 years to 4 in 6 years (as well as other hurdles). We are glad that Canada rejected the politics of fear and division and elected a new government which is committed to multiculturalism.
My family, friends and I look forward to exercising a Canadian citizen’s right to vote. Bill C-24 has delayed that dream by at least one year. Further delays in citizenship processing occur due to the Ministry’s copiously handing out Residence Questionnaires (RQs), and then not having the funding or staffing required to process the citizenship applications in a reasonable time frame.
I have watched on YouTube your speech during the second reading of Bill C-24, when you listed the five barriers to citizenship raised by Bill C-24. You correctly described them as "Scowls" directed towards new immigrants i.e. long processing times, extended language testing, doing away with 50% of pre-PR time credit for students/workers, 4/6 years residency requirement instead of 3/5 years and the 183 days per year residency requirement.
Accordingly, on behalf of my family and friends, I would appeal to you to consider repealing this Bill C-24 in its entirety. I would also request you to have more resources allocated to the relevant sections of the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to reduce the processing backlogs for citizenship and other applications. Repealing Bill C-24 in its entirety and reducing the processing backlogs would be true to “a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian” refrain, and also give us the timely right to vote in the next elections.
Yours sincerely
4) Repeat the process for Minister McCallum.
Hon. John McCallum, PC, MP
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
5) Get active here:
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/bringing-back-3-year-residency-by-repealing-bill-c24-t392063.0.html
