Create or sign a provincial petition

A Provincial Petition is a document that is addressed to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and signed by at least one person. It asks the Legislature to act on or change its position on an issue. A petition can be submitted by an individual or a group.

Public petitions are one of the most direct means by which a group of individuals can communicate with their government and participate in the development of public policy. By enabling individuals to give voice to their grievances and concerns and bring these to the attention of the government, public petitions foster an engaged citizenry and a responsive government.

The government must file a response within 24 sessional/sitting days of the presentation of the petition. They give the response to the Clerk and the MPP who presented the petition.

How to file a petition

Once a petition has collected signatures, it must be sent to an MPP.

Petitioners cannot present a petition to the House of Commons; only MPPs are able to do so. However, it does not have to be your local MPP, any MPP, except cabinet ministers and the Speaker of the House, can present a petition.

The MPP can then:

• Present the petition to the House during regular meeting. These presentations are recorded in Hansard and the official record of proceedings (Votes and Proceedings).
• Table the petition with the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly at any time during a parliamentary session. These presentations are recorded only in the Votes and Proceedings.

Petition template

Request to MPP template

Subject: Request for Sponsorship of Petition on [Issue/Topic]

Dear [MPP’s Name],

I hope this email finds you well. My name is [Your Name], and I am a resident of [Your City/Town]. I am writing to you to seek your support for an important cause that deeply affects our community.

I have recently initiated a petition regarding [briefly describe the issue or topic of your petition], which aims to [explain the purpose or goal of the petition]. This issue is significant because [provide a brief explanation of the importance and impact of the issue on the community].

I am reaching out to ask if you would be willing to sponsor this petition and present it to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Your support would be invaluable in bringing attention to this matter and advocating for the necessary changes.

I would be happy to provide you with more information about the petition, including the specific requests and the number of signatures gathered thus far. I am also available to meet at your convenience to discuss this issue in greater detail.

Thank you for considering my request. I understand that you have many demands on your time, but I believe this issue is one that warrants your attention and advocacy. Your sponsorship would mean a great deal to me and to the many others who have signed this petition.

I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Phone Number]
[Your Email Address]

Petition requirements

To be presented to the Legislative Assembly, a petition must meet the following rules:

• It must ask for an action that is within the jurisdiction of the Legislative Assembly.
• It must use clear and respectful language.
• The text of the petition must be at the top of every page of signatures.
• All signatures must be original. They must be written directly on the petition.
• Each petitioner must print his or her name and address and sign his or her name under the text of the petition.
• Petitioners must be residents of Ontario.
• The petition must be addressed to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
• The petition must be written, typewritten, or printed. Emailed, faxed, photocopied, or online petitions are not allowed.

Filing a petition

Unlike the federal government’s online petitions platform, Ontario still requires the use of paper petitions (original signatures). Emailed, faxed, photocopied, or online petitions are not allowed.

1. Find and contact an MPP who is willing to present your petition to present their petition to the House or table it with the Clerk
2. Print a copy of the petition template above
3. Collect original signatures from individuals
4. Mail or drop off the completed petitions to the MPPs constituency or Ontario Legislature office in Toronto

Past petitions

The Clerk keeps an index of petitions that are presented during the parliamentary session. The index includes:

• a short description of the subject of the petition
• the date the petition was presented
• the MPP who presented the petition
• the date the Clerk received a response to the petition

Petition examples

Save Our Health Care

To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

Whereas the government is restructuring the entire health system without public consultation;

Whereas the restructuring eliminates local planning and control of health care;

Whereas this opens the door for unprecedented levels of for-profit providers in our health care system;

Whereas the current hallway medicine crisis is a direct result of inadequate home care, long term care, and community care services;

Therefore we the undersigned petition the Legislative Assembly as follows: request the government abandon privatization schemes and improve our province’s public and universal health care system.

Terence Kernaghan

Save Our Science Centre

TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO:

WHEREAS on June 21st, 2024 the Conservative Government closed the Ontario Science Centre citing necessary roof repairs; and

WHEREAS the engineering report did NOT say the Science Centre needed to close, only that $40M in roof repairs need to be done over 10 years; and

WHEREAS the government plans to spend at least $70M on a temporary Science Centre that would open in 2 years; and

WHEREAS the Conservative Government also plans on spending $400M on a Science Centre that is half the size of the current one at Ontario Place, on top of the taxpayer subsidized parking garage being built for Therme; and

WHEREAS Geoffrey Hinton and other philanthropists have offered millions of dollars to pay for the roof repairs at the Science Centre;

THEREFORE WE THE UNDERSIGNED petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to reopen the Science Centre immediately in order to preserve this world class facility and save taxpayers money.

Chris Glover

Best practices

MPPs who actively solicit submissions and signatures of petitions

• Marit Stiles NDP MPP for Davenport
• Jessica Bell, NDP MPP, University-Rosedale
• Terence Kernaghan NDP MPP, London North Centre
• Bhutila Karpoche NDP MPP Parkdale—High Park
• Jamie West NDP MPP, Sudbury
• Jennifer French NDP MPP for Oshawa
• Catherine Fife NDP MPP, Waterloo
• Wayne Gates NDP MPP for Niagara Falls, Fort Erie & Niagara-on-the-Lake
• Peggy Sattler NDP MPP, London West
• Anthony Leardi PC MPP for Essex
• Vijay Thanigasalam, PC MPP, Scarborough-Rouge Park
• Jess Dixon PC MPP for Kitchener South-Hespeler