We are all affected, we are all constituents.
My belief is that if we are being affected by a government’s actions or inactions, then we are entitled to make our voices heard.
But you’re a Canadian!
Yes! Yes, I am! But we know from history that fascism isn’t fond of respecting borders. Just as Canadian firefighters always show up when parts of the USA are under threat from wildfire (especially when they are close to our border!), we Canadians also show up when the entire nation is under threat from fascists. The current US regime threatens not just my American friends and loved ones (not to mention millions of people I don’t even know), but it is also posing a genuine threat and plenty of chaos right here in Canada.
Leaky Borders
Fascism and right-wing ideology, left unchecked, spread like, well, wildfire. We are not immune here in Canada. Bolstered rather than deterred by the totalitarian, hateful, violent tendencies we are seeing south of the border, an incomprehensible number of Canadians actually voted for the Maple MAGA party whose leader, lacking Carney’s resolve and class (phew!) would’ve happily handed us over to be the 51st state in his first meeting in the Oval Office. WTAF? Fortunately, Carney DID win, and I believe we are in good hands with him leading the country, but that hasn’t shut the furious right-wingers up for a minute. In fact, about 2 seconds after the election results were announced, Premier Danielle Smith of Alberta started to threaten the nation with Albertan independence (of course, the joke’s on her as all of Alberta is Treaty land and all affected First Nations are telling her where to stick her stupid notions of independence).
On a more personal level, the shitty anti-trans threat posed by the US Dept. of HHS has been targeting Canadian doctors who provide trans care to youth with a snitch line to report these CANADIAN doctors. When my kid told us they were trans just as they were turning 14, my first thought was “Thank gawd we live in Victoria!” I’m not sure there’s a safer place on earth to be trans. My partner and I lovingly supported our kid through their transition, and I couldn’t be more grateful to the medical professionals who helped my kid with respect, kindness, and of course, their wealth of medical expertise. My world is full of trans folk who are lovely human beings and dear friends, and my life would be immensely poorer without them. I have seen up close and personally how important trans care is. We have enough anti-trans idiocy spreading throughout Canada, we certainly don’t need the US government making it even harder for our trans kids!
But you’re not a constituent!
My belief is that if we are being affected by a government’s actions or inactions, then we are entitled to make our voices heard. If that means claiming to be a constituent of each and every US senator in order to have them read my emails, then I will happily claim to be from their hometown, from Anchorage Alaska to Casper Wyoming. Basically, if politicians can fuck around with my world, then they’re going to hear from me, even if it means getting to them through a backdoor.
At the start of my letter-writing campaign, my techy friend Susan created this handy-dandy spreadsheet with links to every senator’s contact page. I have since mastered the art of writing what I need to say on a word doc, then copying and pasting into each email so they all get the same message, all in under 45 minutes. Drop me a line at contact@letters-from-a-canadian.com if you want a tutorial on how to use Susan’s spreadsheet to get the most bang for your buck.
With all the chaos, how do you decide what to write about?
Basically, I turn to writers like Heather Cox Richardson, Jay Kuo and Rebecca Solnit (I told you I’d be mentioning her a lot!) to find out what the latest and most infuriating stunt is coming out of DC and I address that.
One of my early emails to Republicans went like this:
February 14th, 2025
Congratulations Senator! By approving the most unqualified, dangerous grifters for cabinet you have proven that you are:
a) A spineless weasel
b) Corrupt and uncaring
c) A total idiot
d) All of the above.
In less than a full month in office, your president and his UNELECTED billionaire buddy (with YOUR blessings and support) have done more damage to, not only the USA, but across the globe, than any other US president in the country’s long history.
So, what now? Now we will see what happens when an insatiably greedy UNELECTED billionaire illegally strips the government of funding for all the social structures that hold America together. Now we will see what happens when the Dept of Health is overseen by an insane and corrupt conspiracy theorist, when the Dept of Defence is overseen by a TV host, when the EPA is overseen by a climate denier. Your constituents are going to start facing previously unknown levels of poverty and sickness. Your constituents will start dying from lack of access to proper health care, and YOU will be responsible for this. Shame on you!
You took an oath to serve your constituents, not blindly follow your autocratic leader and his UNELECTED billionaire buddy. You have no business holding public office. You have failed the people who voted for you and all Americans. Shame on you!
May you grow a spine, Jessica
Basically, I’m not playing nice while they’re playing possum at the feet of their demented overlord to the detriment of an entire nation and the rest of the world.
Remarkably, a few senators responded (though they gracefully ignored my snarkiness). I obviously didn’t change their stance, but I was noisy in my objections to their objectionable nominees, and that felt better than being silent.
I can see the US when I walk on any local beach (which is often). I originated in the US. I still have friends and family on that side of the border. I am affected by every decision US policy makers make. I am everyone’s constituent and so are you. If you are appalled by their actions, they need to know. Be noisy!
Jessica
