How to Speak at a Government Committee

Decisions made at City Hall and the Toronto School Board affect lives across Toronto. Many of those decisions are made at committees where the public has an opportunity to speak. That’s why one way to ensure representatives and the Mayor hear our concerns is by speaking at a committee.

Speaking at a committee is also known as making a deputation. Deputations are an opportunity for you to tell the Mayor, City Councillors, and TDSB Trustees your opinions and perspectives on issues they are considering.

At this workshop you will learn the basics of making a deputation. You will learn how to choose which committee to speak at, how to read the committee agenda, how to sign up for a deputation, and how to prepare your deputation (speech). Right now, deputations at the City of Toronto are taking place by video. We will also review how this works and how you can prepare.

This training session is being led by Progress Toronto’s Founding Advisor Monica Krista De Vera and Project Manager Saman Tabasinejad.