Tips: Watch for stories on Budget 2023 in your daily or local community newspaper. These could be articles speculating on what will be in the Budget, what opposition critics are saying, or opinion columns on related topics. Choose one of the articles to serve as the “hook” for your letter. You could also use an article about the severe drought and hunger in the Horn of Africa or one on food insecurity across the Global South. For community weeklies you could also make a link to something happening in your community. You are looking for a "connection".
Start your letter with a heading using the headline and name of the journalist whose article you are using as your hook. For example. “Budget should include new tax reduction measures” -- Journalist's name. You can then start off by referring to the article, e.g., “XX is off the mark in suggesting that Canada should cut spending.”
Letter TEMPLATE
The prevalence of severe hunger in countries of the Global South, and in particular countries in the Horn of Africa, is greater now than it has been at any time in the past five years. The World Food Programme is warning that we face an impending “hunger catastrophe” if action is not urgently taken. Millions are at risk.
The global hunger crisis is directly related to poverty and inequality, climate change, armed conflicts, and food system failures. Economic impacts stemming from the global pandemic and, more recently, the conflict in Ukraine, as well as supply chain disruptions, have added even more pressure and created political instability.
As a member of the Grandmothers Advocacy Network… [personalize your message here. For example: why this is important to you; your own experiences; or something happening locally.]
I sincerely hope that Canada will once again demonstrate international leadership by providing an ambitious investment in Budget 2023 to help turn the tide on this humanitarian crisis and keep its promise to increase aid to the world's poorest countries every year.
Sincerely,
[Your name, City or Town]
[Note: In your cover email you may also need to include your phone number so that the Editor can get back to you. We recommend that you check specific requirements for LTE submissions with your local news outlet.]
