Letter to Rob Merrifield, Minister of State of Transport - Re: Vague Commitment to Maintain the Moratorium on Rural Post Office Closures and Inadequate Consultation Process in ‘Canadian Postal Service Charter’

 

BY EMAIL AND MAIL

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 get clarification on the federal government’s commitment to maintain the moratorium on the closure of rural post offices.

As you know, this commitment was included in the recently announced ‘Canadian Postal Service Charter’.

The Charter says:

“11. The moratorium on the closure of rural post offices is maintained.”

The Charter does not say the current moratorium on closures is maintained. It does not say the moratorium on the closure of post offices in “small” one-post-office towns is maintained. The Charter only mentions “rural” post offices.

As you know, the moratorium that has been in effect since 1994 protects public post offices in both rural and small one-post-office towns.

People in small communities throughout our country will no doubt be wondering if their public post offices are protected by the ‘Canadian Postal Service Charter.’ It appears that post offices in small one-post-office towns are not covered by the Service Charter. It appears that the Conservative government has diluted the moratorium that has been in effect for many years, in spite of receiving resolutions from about 500 municipalities urging your government to maintain the moratorium on post office closures in rural and small one-post-office towns.  

I am also writing to express CUPW’s concerns about the Charter’s expectations in regard to consultation over closures and other measures.

The Canadian Postal Services Charter says:

“14. At least one month before deciding to permanently close, move or amalgamate corporate post offices, Canada Post will meet with affected customers and communities to jointly explore options and find practical solutions that address customer concerns.”

A month may be a sufficient amount of time to return a library book, but it is certainly not enough time to discuss a post office closure.

Moreover, we are concerned about the lack of consultation over the Charter in general.

A service charter should be based on public consultations.

Unfortunately, the federal government did not consult with the public on the ‘Canadian Postal Services Charter’.

In closing, I would like to request that you immediately let CUPW and others know if your government has diluted the moratorium on post office closures. Are public post offices in small one-post-office towns covered by the commitment in the ‘Canadian Postal Services Charter’? I would also like to urge your government to get public input on the ‘Canadian Postal Services Charter’.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this very important 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