Political Advocacy Committee

Our History
Initially, this District 13 Committee was called the Social Committee with Norm Walpole as its first Chair. When the Provincial Executive of RTO/ERO asked all districts to form committees dealing with political issues, District 13 changed the name of the committee to District 13 Political Action Committee. 2009 saw a new direction for RTO/ERO political interventions. The new name for the Committee is the Political Advocacy Committee (PAC).

PAC Initiatives -Then and Now
From its early beginnings the PAC dealt with the political and social issues of the day. They were dealt with at regular PAC meetings and, if deemed appropriate, recommendations were forwarded to the District 13 Executive for action approvals. Prior to both Provincial and Federal elections all political parties were invited to answer committee and executive approved questionnaires dealing with the relevant issues of the day. The responses would be published in a special issue of the Thirteenth World. In the elections of 2005/2006 we failed to receive sufficient responses for publication in our newsletter. The Committee changed its focus somewhat and decided to deal with specific issues that were of concern to members. Membership was surveyed and PAC identified five key issues of concern for further research and recommendations. This exercise is ongoing.

In 2009 the proposed Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) became a priority for RTO/ERO. Through an initiative developed by the Provincial Executive District 13, PAC was asked to survey all seven of our MPPs regarding RTO/ERO concerns about the HST impact on our members and seniors at large. Under the leadership of President Joanne Weeks, a sub-committee of PAC interviewed six of the seven local MPPs and forwarded responses to the Provincial Executive for study and recommendation.

These are examples of the advocacy approach in use by District 13 PAC. We invite you, as a District 13 member, to attend all our meetings and join in our deliberations. We meet on the first Tuesday of even-numbered months except August. Committee meeting dates can be found on the Events page of the website.

Leo Normandeau, Chair,
The Political Advocacy Committee.
Contact information: (905) 689-9198 or lnormandeau1@cogeco.ca