About Petitions
One easy way for citizens to make their voices heard in Canada's Parliament is through petitioning.
Every petition begins as an idea and progresses through several stages on its way to being signed and presented in the House of Commons for response from the government.
A petition is used to draw attention to an issue of public interest or concern and to request that the House of Commons, the Government of Canada, a Minister of the Crown, or a Member of the House of Commons take some action. A person preparing and submitting such a request is known as a petitioner.
Petitioners cannot directly present a petition to the House of Commons; only a Member of Parliament is able to do so. In order to have a petition posted on the House of Commons e-petition website and eventually presented in the House, it must be sponsored by a Member.
A petition must also meet certain requirements established by the rules and practices of the House. The Clerk of Petitions, a non-partisan House of Commons employee, holds the authority to certify that these requirements have been met.
Electronic Petitions or “E-Petitions”
As of December 2015, the House of Commons now accepts electronic petitions.
For information about creating an e-petition to parliament please visit the Guide to E-Petitions here.
The Guide to E-Petitions will help you create a petition that is properly formatted for submission to parliament.
Please note petitions require a minimum of 25 signatures to be accepted by the House of Commons.
Paper Petitions
If you wish to circulate a paper petition, some standards must be followed. You may wish to use a template provided by the House of Commons.