Letter to Lawrence Cannon - Re: Moratorium on Post Office Closures

July 18, 2006

Lawrence Cannon
Place de Ville, Tower C, 29th Floor,
330 Sparks,
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0N5

Dear Mr. Cannon:

Re: Moratorium on Post Office Closures

I was pleased to hear your government announce that the moratorium on post office closures in rural and small towns would continue. When the moratorium was announced in 1994, the Minister responsible for Canada Post provided us with a list of offices covered by the moratorium. This list includes 364 offices staffed by members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and 3603 offices staffed by members of the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association. I would like to request an updated list of post offices covered by the moratorium.

As you know, post offices/outlets covered by the moratorium have been closed and will continue to close if Canada Post adheres to its practice of consulting with "local officials" rather than the public when deciding to keep or close an outlet covered by the moratorium. I would therefore like to know if your government is willing to instruct Canada Post to consult with the public, postal unions and other major stakeholders when making a decision to keep or close post offices covered by the moratorium?

CUPW would also like to know if you would be willing to extend the moratorium to urban post offices.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Yours truly,

Deborah Bourque
National President

c.c.: National Executive Board
Regional Education and Organization Officers
National Union Representatives
Specialists
CUPW locals
All MPs
Moya Greene, Canada Post President
Leslie Schous, President, Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association
Richard Des Lauriers, President, Union of Postal Communications Employees, Public Service Alliance of Canada