CAFC Volunteer Firefighter Income Tax Campaign

Dear CAFC members,

As you are aware, the CAFC has launched an aggressive advocacy campaign to support our request that the Government of Canada introduce $3,000 in personal income tax relief for Volunteer Firefighters. It is important that we use the summer months to reach out to key Members of Parliament at home in their communities. To that end we have prepared an outreach package for you that is attached. Please read the following instructions carefully as there are some important details and recommendations. If you have any questions, concerns or require French versions of any of the attached, please contact Robin MacLachlan, Katlyn Harrison at Summa Strategies or Brian Linklater at CAFC. Their coordinates are included below:

Robin MacLachlan – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 613-235-1400

Katlyn Harrison – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or 613-235-1400
Brian Linklater – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or 613-236-0133

 1. The first document attached is a template of a letter/email that can be sent to your local Member of Parliament to request a meeting on this issue. This message includes an invitation for your MP to visit your local Volunteer Fire Department to meet the volunteers who protect your community and learn about the sacrifices they make in performing their duties. To obtain contact information for your local MP (Constituency office address, phone and email), please contact Robin or Katlyn at Summa Strategies. Once you have sent the request you will want to follow up by phone to book a meeting and arrange a visit for the MP to your Volunteer Fire Department. Getting your local Member of Parliament to visit your Fire Hall and meet volunteer firefighters will have a big impact on their level of support. Let them hear first-hand the personal stories of sacrifice and service from the volunteers themselves. It is a very good idea to take pictures of your MP with uniformed firefighters and officers and then provide these photos to their office as they will appreciate this.

 Click to here to download the letter/email template

2. The second document includes talking points to guide your discussions with your Member of Parliament and other community leaders (including municipal councilors, mayors and provincial politicians). It is important that everyone sticks to the key messages outlined in this document. However, please do feel free to share personal stories about the sacrifices you and the volunteers that you lead make in order to protect your community.

 Click here to download the talking points

3.  The third document is a draft of a letter to the editor of your local community paper. This can be modified or used as is but you must fill in the blanks indicated. If you need any assistance in tracking down contact information for the editor or which paper to send it to, feel free to contact Robin or Katlyn as they will be happy to help you.

 Click here for the letter to the editor template

4. The fourth document is a template for a general support letter/email that any member of your community can send to their Member of Parliament, copying the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister. This template can be modified to be used by local business owners, local government officials, other community leaders or yourselves. Robin and Katlyn will be more than happy to provide you with contact information for your Member of Parliament and you should use the following addresses to send copies to the Prime Minister and Finance Minister. Letters can be sent to all three postage free but it may be easier simply to send them by email.

 Click here for the letter of support template

Right Hon. Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

By email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Hon. Jim Flaherty, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Finance
House of Commons

Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

By email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

We have identified a number of key Members of Parliament that we will be targeting this summer and we will be following-up with some of you to coordinate specific outreach.  As a number of MPs will have multiple Chiefs in their ridings, it is important in these cases that you coordinate with other Chiefs in your area to ensure your efforts compliment each other.  Please do not hesitate to contact Robin, Katylyn or Brian with any questions or concerns you may have.

CAFC thanks you for your support of this important campaign.

Fire Chief Bruce Burrell                                         Fire Chief Harold Tulk

CAFC President                                                      Chair, CAFC Government Relations Committee