CAEM Update – February 17, 2021

CAEM provided a submission to the Federal Minister of Finance as part of the 2021 budget development process.  This submission outlined the impact the pandemic is having on our industry and outlined our funding requests. You can read more here.  In addition to the Federal budget submission we are currently working on providing similar documents to Provincial Finance Ministers who announced requests for public input in their budget process.  

The Federal Government meeting outreach is progressing according to plan.  Presently, our government relations firm, Crestview Strategy, is conducting preliminary meetings with various departments and Parliamentary Secretaries on our behalf.   In the coming weeks we will have more to report to you as CAEM's President, Executive Director and industry coalition members meet with government officials to present our case for sector-specific funding.

So many of our members have asked us if there is anything they can do to help amplify our voice with government and the answer to that question is a resounding YES!   We are now at a critical juncture in this process whereby the more industry voices that are heard by the Federal Government the more our case will be strengthened, and the more likely we are to be successful.  The key to having significant impact is to present a consistent message to government  To that end we have created a step by step guide you can follow to contact your local Member of Parliament and if possible set up a meeting to discuss our federal funding ask. 

The job of an MP is to serve and represent their constituents,  While they are busy people, remember that as a citizen in their riding they are there to hear your concerns and do their best to stand up for what their constituency needs.

SENDING A LETTER & REQUESTING A MEETING

1. Using the letter template downloadable here, email your MP firstname.lastname@parl.gc.ca. You can also visit the House of Commons' website and search for your MP to find their exact address.
2. Update the letter with your personal information (areas highlighted in blue on the template) and attached it to your email with the Fact Sheet. 
3. In the body of the email state your name, which part of the riding you live in and request a meeting with your MP to discuss the attached letter.
4. If your MP's office does not reply within a week, call their constituency office to follow up.  You can search for their office phone numbers here.

KEY TALKING POINTS FOR YOUR MEETING 

To help facilitate meeting with your local MP,  download the Meeting Agenda as well as Key Talking Points.  For further reference here is a copy of the full government brief. 

CALL TO ACTION

As your meeting with your MP comes to a close, it is important to ask them to take action on your behalf.  Here are 3 calls to action to request from your MP.

1. Request they send a letter of support to Ministers Joly and Ng, as well as their Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development, encouraging them to increase funding and make the requested program changes to allow exposition sector businesses to survive.
2. Request they sponsor a petition asking for additional help for the exhibition sector.
3. Request they submit to deliver a Statement in the House of Commons (SO-31) to share your support for the exposition sector.  

FEEDBACK

Following your meeting please send an email to info@caem.ca to let us know you had a meeting with your MP, include the name of the MP and if they promised to take action and briefly outline their general feedback. 

Your voice can make a difference and play a significant role in amplifying CAEM's critical advocacy work with the Federal Government.   Please do not hesitate to contact us at info@caem.ca or 416.787.9377 if you have any questions about contacting your MP and setting up a meeting. 

In our constant effort keep you as informed as possible about available funding options, we wanted to highlight a tool available through the federal government that can be used to explore funding options. The Business Benefits Finder is an easy multiple choice tool whereby you answer a few questions about your business and a list of possible funding and support options will populate.