Federal Election 2011Campaign tips and tools
Things you can do
We depend on your support in the campaign for clean air and lung health. Here are some important things you can do to help build support for action.
- Join us on Facebook
Express your support for action on lung health and post a message to our Wall or add to our Discussions page. You can ask your friends and family to help out as well. We are asking you to contribute to this conversation, let us know what issues are especially important to you. If you talk to a candidate in your riding, let us know your candidate’s response!
- Follow us on Twitter @canlung
Election time is a great time to show your #lung support, volunteer and ask your candidates lung health questions, such as: Will you back strong action to clean up the air Canadians breathe? Will you support increased funding for research on lung disease?
- Ask the candidates at your door where they stand
When the candidates or their representatives come around to your door – or you meet them at the mall – use the opportunity to ask them whether they will support strong action on lung health. To help you, we’ve prepared a series of election cards with important questions and key facts about lung disease.
- Raise lung health issues at all-candidates meetings
All–candidates meetings are a great place to raise to raise important health issues with the candidates. Gather a group of interested friends for moral support and head off – with copies of our backgrounders and election cards in hand.
Be sure to talk to the organizers of the all-candidates session either beforehand or at the meeting when you arrive, to find out how you can get a question put to the candidates. Some meetings have an open format, allowing questions from anyone attending. Others require written questions in advance. Feel free to use any of the questions set out on the election cards. If your life has been directly affected by lung disease, you might briefly mention that when you speak to add a personal note to your question.
Usually the time just before and just after the meeting will provide good opportunities for chatting with the candidates about our issues. These interactions are usually brief, so try to make your message to the candidates brief and to the point (e.g. "Hi, I’m ___________. I hope I can count on your support for strong action to clean up our air ..."). Short and sweet is the best bet.
- Organize a "meet and greet" session with the candidates in your community
If you are a member of a community organization or social club with 20 or more members, you could think about organizing a meet-and-greet session with the candidates. These can be held at a community hall, condominium recreation room or the normal meeting place of your organization. Provide some refreshments and bring the candidates in on a schedule, one after the other, giving each a half hour or more on their own with your members. If you can muster at least 15-20 people from the candidates’ riding, they will be more than willing to attend.
It usually works well to ask each candidate to speak briefly at the start of the session and then move into questions and answers with your members. Be sure to prepare a few people to ask questions on key issues that will interest your members.
Meet-and-greet sessions like this provide a perfect opportunity to ask the candidates whether they will support action on lung health. Feel free to use the questions on the Lung Association election cards, which you could print and distribute to the members of your organization – and the candidates.
Tools you can use
You're welcome to print out these items for your own use or to distribute to supporters and candidates.
Lung Association election cards
Backgrounders on our key issues
Find out more about more about lung health issues by reading/ printing out these useful backgrounders. Make copies and pass them along to your friends.
Thank you for supporting action on lung health!
Together we will make a difference.
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