Don't hang up those hiking shoes yet!

There are still eight working days before Members of Parliament head back to Ottawa.  That means there's still time for your credit union to meet with your MPs as part of Hike the Hill at Home this summer! 

And we're here to make it easy!  Just send us an email and we'll send you your customized Hike the Hill at Home Meeting Scheduling Kit, followed by briefing material and a step-by-step how-to guide.

Two weeks may not seem like a lot of time, but other advocates put together meetings in that amount of time this summer.  You can too.

NOTE: If the only time your MP can meet you is after September 14th - book it!  Your CU Nation support team will be there to help with meetings into autumn.

Momentum behind Hike the Hill at Home has picked up as the summer months have wound down.  More than 70 percent of Hike meetings with MPs have occurred in the last two weeks of August or have been scheduled for this first week of September.

In addition, advocates have been reporting very productive meetings with their legislators.  Using materials and messaging prepared by Canadian Central, advocates have been impressing on MPs the system's concerns about Farm Credit Canada's lending practices as well as the need for a "small institutions lens" in regulatory reform.

Along the way, CU Nation advocates have been building stronger local relationships with influential MPs like parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Agriculture David Anderson; finance committee vice chair Scott Brison; and agriculture committee member Ben Lobb.

The House of Commons is scheduled to sit from September 17th straight through to December 14th. During this time, MPs will have only two constituency weeks:

• October 8 through 12; and
• November 12 through 16.

Meeting with your MP is always more effective close to home.  To help advocates like you focus on successful in-riding meetings, this year’s autumn "Hike the Hill" in Ottawa will be on a smaller scale than the past.

So start thinking about your MPs' Thanksgiving and Remembrance Day constituency weeks as your next big opportunities to connect with them until mid-December.