Ok, here's my spin, feel free to co-opt it if it sounds more starched/form-lettery:

Dear Minister Oda,

I'm writing to you today to express concern about a great deal of internet chatter and press regarding Status of Women Canada. To quote their mandate:

"Status of Women Canada (SWC) is the federal government agency which promotes gender equality, and the full participation of women in the economic, social, cultural and political life of the country. SWC focuses its work in three areas: improving women's economic autonomy and well-being, eliminating systemic violence against women and children, and advancing women's human rights."

This is not a "radical feminist agenda", but of late, the organization REAL Women and its supporters have been attempting to pain that very picture; that SWC has somehow veered extremely outside the mainstream, when they are in fact in place to ensure that the equality all Canadian women have a right to enjoy under our Charter and our law is defended and upheld where it is under attack. In fact, what Status of Women Canada needs is _increased_ funding and resources, as is evidenced by how many Canadian women rely on the work that they do.

Please let me know what you and your party are doing to ensure the longevity of this crucial agency. This is an important issue to myself and all the woman across Canada to whom I've spoken regarding this issue.

Thank you,
Gilyan Merry
Toronto, Ontario

p.s. Maybe I could say "AWESOME" some more!

Hee, thanks! Between nine years of customer and/or public service, the jargon fair rolls off my... fingers... at this point. And Muriel Duckworth is hell of right! It's the same advice my therapist tries weekly to burrow into my head. Don't wait to be awesome, just DO it! You'll GET awesome! And chances are you are already more awesome than you think.

I won't email my MP because thinking of her makes me go to my bad place.

I will write Oda though. I like her a lot.

Aw, I wish I could be writing the awesome woman I worked to try to elect last election. Instead I'll be writing Rahim Jaffer. I'm sure he'll give a crap. Oh well. Hopefully with all these cc's, someone will raise it in Parliament.

"Hysteric"? "SILLY GIRL"????

This means WAR. I am gathering addresses together so I can send paper letters. I feel like paper letters have more of an effect, for some reason.

Also I am sending the letter to Senator Carstairs, just because she's great.

Yeah, I was going to also give an emphatic "in praise of paper"! Conventional wisdom is that email is about 1/10th as effective as a paper letter is about 1/10th as effective as a phone call is about 1/10th as effective as a face to face conversation. It takes just as much time to pick up the phone or mail a letter as it does to email!

Mr. St-Cyr,
I am writing to you today to encourage you to continue to support the current mandate and work of Status of Women Canada/Condition Feminine Canada. That is, as "the federal government agency which promotes gender equality, and the full participation of women in the economic, social, cultural and political life of the country. SWC focuses its work in three areas: improving women's economic autonomy and well-being, eliminating systemic violence against women and children, and advancing women's human rights." (from http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/index_e.html)

The agency is a vital one, which has helped countless women through its funding of organisations, as well as through its support of the continued legal and societal emancipation of women.

There are groups (namely REAL Women) levying heavy, unfair, and most importantly false, criticisms against this important agency. Labelling the agency as "radically feminist" unfairly discredits it in public eyes, and is clearly a smear tactic. Please use your influence to dispell these criticisms, and to increase funding to Status of Women Canada/Condition Feminine Canada. Please help keep women's issues at the forefront of Canadian politics.

Thank you very much for your time,
Katharine Childs
Verdun, QC

I think it should be defunded. I don't feel I need to be defended in this way. Those who want to support the organisation can if they want to as they do other special interest groups. The taxpayer money now spent on SoW could be better given to the Provinces to spend on health care, education, or child care all of which benefit both men and women.