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Try It! Interactive Exercise - Making Your Voice Heard

Many people believe the Internet is a powerful supporter of democracy. Autocratic regimes invariably attempt to control information media, a much more difficult task if even a few of their citizens can access the outside world via the net. In countries such as Canada, the Web can be a valuable source of news, analysis and commentary. If some level of government offends or alarms us, e-mail gives us a quick, convenient way to reach our elected representatives, if we know how.

The purpose of this exercise is to find information about your federal, provincial and municipal representatives. For each one, look for name, e-mail address, phone number, and personal Web site, if any. Record this information for future reference, in case you need to speak out on proposed actions, such as a major tuition increase.

Next, choose one of your representatives and send him or her an e-mail. If you were able to find a personal Web site for this individual, write a very brief review, including a suggestion or two for improving the site. If you can't find a personal site, ask "do you have one, and if not, do you intend to get one in the near future".

Use a search engine, or try the following sites:

Canadian Government Information on the Internet
A Web directory of government sites, maintained by the federal government

Government of Canada
Official site, try "Government Contacts".

Yahoo.ca
See their category "Governments"

1. Your representative's name and e-mail address:
Namee-mail

2. Write your e-mail to your representative below. A copy will be sent to the e-mail address listed above.

Just fill out the information below, press the "Submit" button and a copy will be sent to your representative and your instructor!
Be sure to enter your e-mail address so your representative can reply.
You will receive a copy of each e-mail sent.
Your name:
Your e-mail address:
Your instructor's e-mail address:

 

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