In March 2024, ORCIE organized a three-day “Learning & Lobbying” series, which
culminated in in-person meetings on Parliament Hill in Ottawa with MPs and top civil
servants to discuss the transition away from fossil fuels, with a particular focus on
capping emissions. Eight participants from various congregations attended the event, with most traveling from outside Ottawa.
The L& L process prepared two small teams to meet with MPs and top civil servants on Parliament Hill. Our preparation began with an online panel discussion on Canada’s transition away from fossil fuels with guest speaker Alex Cool-Fergus, National Policy Manager with CAN-Rac and led by Genevieve Gallant, Executive Director of ORCIE and Sue Wilson, CSJ, PhD – Office for Systemic Justice, Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Canada. This session addressed two key questions to consider in preparation for meetings with MPs and senior civil servants:
- What are the legislative actions and moments to leverage right now in our transition to clean energy?
- Where and how can we act to be a part of a ‘new reset’, understanding there is no room for new oil and gas production in Canada?
The second step involved an in-person presentation titled “Brass tacks: Multilateralism from below,” led by Genevieve Gallant, Executive Director of ORCIE at St. Paul University, Ottawa, followed by lunch. This session covered a review of the ORCIE’s lobby guide, report-back documents, policy briefs, and elevator speech. We also trained participants for MP meetings and ended with small group discussions to set specific meeting goals. The final step involved participants from the different congregations holding in-person meetings on the Hill with MP’s and top civil servants ending with a concrete ‘ask’. This final step concluded with a debrief and dinner to share experiences and feedback.