Letter/Email Template, Talking Points & Telephone Script — See Below

Dear Friends,

The situation is urgent.

Our Committee continues to press MP Will Greaves to help move this family’s application forward. But while paperwork waits, their reality in Islamabad is becoming more dangerous by the day. Here is what is happening now:

  • The Pakistani government is deporting Afghan refugees daily in large numbers.
  • Afghan refugee visas are no longer being renewed.
  • New laws forbid Pakistani landlords from renting to Afghan refugees without visas. Landlords who have Afghan tenants without visas risk heavy fines or even jail. Authorities now require landlords to report the names of everyone living in their properties.
  • Afghan refugees are being denied access to basic necessities, including the ability to purchase food from vendors.

This family is at real risk of displacement, detention and deportation.

They have two children and extended family here in Canada waiting for them. They have housing and financial support that is in place. Canada represents safety, stability and reunion. 

But time matters. Delay has consequences. We need immediate pressure on our federal representatives to accelerate this file.

You can help right now:

  • Please sign and send the template letter below to:

Mr. Will Greaves, MP
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

[No postage is required]

  • Write your own letter or email using the talking points provided below.
  • Email directly: will.greaves@parl.gc.ca
  • Call the MP Will Greaves’ constituency office: 250-363-3600
    (Use the phone script below if helpful)
  • Do all three — letter, email and phone call.

Numbers matter.

The MP’s office tracks how many letters, emails and calls they receive. Volume signals urgency. 

We cannot afford silence. Please act today.

With gratitude and determination,

James Bay United Church Refugee Sponsorship Committee

Raymond Yee
Elvira Sentes
Karen Dickey
Bev Tracey
Marg Lunam
D’Arcy McPherson
André Fontaine

Letter and (or) Email Message

Dear MP Will Greaves,

I am writing as a constituent of Victoria regarding Afghan nationals sheltering in Pakistan. I believe you have been in communication with members of the James Bay United Church Refugee Sponsorship Committee who are sponsoring an Afghan family.

Thank you for the work you and your office have already undertaken on this case. We recognize your past efforts and appreciate your engagement. At this critical stage, however, I am asking you to please continue and deepen your advocacy. This is not the time to walk away.

Conditions for Afghans in Pakistan remain unstable and increasingly dangerous. Deportations, visa refusals, threat of detention and escalating risk are real and extremely dangerous. Afghan families remain extremely vulnerable, and delay will have potentially irreversible and dire consequences.

Canada has made public commitments to protect Afghans at risk. As your constituent, I believe it is essential that we follow through on these humanitarian efforts. Lives are at stake. We can save these people from extreme danger.

Canada once turned away Jewish refugees on the St. Louis, excluded Chinese immigrants, rejected the Komagata Maru passengers, and interned Japanese Canadians. These decisions are now recognized as grave injustices. History has judged those choices harshly. If we have learned anything, it is that fear and exclusion age badly. Our obligation today is simple: to do better than our past and to ensure our policies reflect courage, compassion and human dignity.

Please continue to use your voice and office to press for action. These people have no platform to advocate for themselves. They do not have a voice in Parliament. But you do. We are counting on our elected representatives to stand with the most vulnerable.

Thank you for your continued leadership. Please respond at your earliest convenience. Time is not on our side. 

Sincerely,

Address:

Telephone:

Talking Points for Personal Letters, Emails or Phone Calls

Requesting Urgent Action for our family and all Afghan Refugees

Ottawa [No postage required]:

Will Greaves, MP
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6

Phone: 613-996-2358

Constituency:

Main office – Victoria

Will Greaves, MP
210-852 Fort St
Victoria, British Columbia
V8W 1H8
Phone: 250-363-3600

E-mail:

You can reach the office of Will Greaves at will.greaves@parl.gc.ca

1. Identify Yourself

  • State you are a Victoria constituent.
  • Reference Refugee families in Islamabad and the work of the James Bay United Church Refugee Sponsorship Committee.
  • Housing (donated for one year – zero cost to government) and total funding are in place.
  • Acknowledge and thank MP Greaves for his past efforts.

2. State the Urgency

  • Conditions for Afghans in Pakistan are deteriorating (deportations, visa refusals, detention risks and threats of violence, forced marriage or worse).
  • The family’s situation has greatly worsened and they remain extremely vulnerable.
  • Delay could have irreversible consequences.
  • Now is the time to strengthen advocacy and demonstrate a commitment to human rights.

3. Make Clear Requests

Ask MP Greaves to:

  • Seek a meeting with the Minister of Immigration to elevate this case.
  • Engage the Canadian High Commission in Islamabad to underscore urgency. 
  • Sponsor and advance the e-petition to support Afghan refugees (e-petition will be circulated when it reaches final approval).

4. Emphasize Canada’s Responsibility

  • Canada has committed to protecting Afghans at risk.
  • Canada must follow through on commitments to humanitarian rights.
  • Lives are at stake.

5. Reference Our Historical Lessons

  • Canada has previously turned away vulnerable people (Jewish people on the St. Louis, Chinese exclusion, South Asians on the Komagata Maru, Japanese internment).
  • History has judged those decisions harshly.
  • Our obligation is to do better today.

6. Close with Accountability

  • The family has no voice in Parliament — but their MP does.
  • Ask for continued leadership and a response.
  • Emphasize that time is critical.

7. Paper & Voice Contact information

Telephone Script

Call to MP Will Greaves’ Office at 250-363-3600

Hello, my name is ____________. I live in Victoria and am a constituent of MP Will Greaves.

I’m calling about Afghan nationals in Islamabad being sponsored by members of the James Bay United Church Refugee Sponsorship Committee.

Thank you for the work the MP has already done. However, conditions for Afghans in Pakistan are worsening, including deportations and detention risks, and this family remains vulnerable. Time is critical.

I respectfully ask that MP Greaves:

  • Meet with the JBUC Refugee committee.
  • Seek a meeting with the Minister of Immigration and the Committee; and
  • Engage the Canadian High Commission in Islamabad to underscore the urgency; and
  • Sponsor and advance the e-petition.

Canada has committed to protecting Afghans at risk. We must follow through.

Please let the MP know his constituents are asking for continued, strengthened advocacy, and I hope that we will be hearing reports of movement on this file as soon as possible.

Thank you.

[Your Name]

Ministries And Programs
James Bay Refugee Initiative