Letter to Rob Merrifield, Minister of State of Transport

Rob Merrifield, Minister of State of Transport
Place de Ville, Tower C, 29^th Floor
330 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario  
K1A 0N5

Dear Mr. Merrifield:

I am writing to request a response to my letters of May 14, 2009 and June 24, 2009 regarding the report of the Canada Post Corporation Strategic Review (CPCSR) and your response to this report.

As you know, we have a number of concerns. We are especially troubled by the CPCSR recommendations to reconsider rural delivery and end the moratorium on post office closures in favour of a mechanism which gives Canada Post the flexibility to close post offices or convert these public post offices to private outlets.   We are also concerned about the recommendation to legalize the activities of remailers, not to mention the fact that the government has accepted this recommendation by introducing Bill C-44. 

In May 2009, you indicated that the government intended to take some time to review the CPCSR report and engage in consultations before it commented on report recommendations.

Consulting with the public is particularly important if the government is considering the recommendation for a service charter defining standards for delivery, retail services, etc. As mentioned in an earlier letter, CUPW supports this recommendation so long as standards are reasonable and so long as there is adequate public consultation on the standards.

As of July 2009, there have been no public consultations on the CPCSR report or any of its recommendations. Canada Post belongs to all of us. We have a right to have a say in what happens to this service - especially during government reviews on the future of public postal service.

Would it be possible to get a response to my letters in the near future? Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Yours truly,

Denis Lemelin
National President

 

cc

National Executive Committee
Regional Executive Committees
National Union Representatives
Regional Union Representatives
Specialists
CUPW locals
David Christopherson, MP
Mario Laframboise, MP
Joseph Volpe, MP
John Baird, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
Andre Morency, ADM, Corporate Services Group, Transport Canada