Letter to Bev Oda - Re: Publications Assistance Program (PAP)

Bev Oda
Minister of Canadian Heritage
Terrasses de la Chaudière
12th Floor
15 Eddy Street
Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 0M5

Dear Ms. Oda:

On behalf of the 54,000 members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), I would like to raise concerns about recent changes to the Publications Assistance Program (PAP), a program operated by the Department of Canadian Heritage, in partnership with Canada Post. We understand that the corporation has decided to withdraw its $15-million contribution to the PAP as of April 1, 2007.

The PAP is extremely important to community newspapers and the communities they serve. This program helps many papers with mailing costs with a view to reaching readers. As your department's website states, it also helps "build capacity in the Canadian publishing industry, while also fostering geographic, cultural and linguistic communities through the support of local, ethnic, aboriginal and minority language publications."

We completely support the PAP and are very dismayed Canada Post is withdrawing from a public policy program that has played a key role in the development of our country. In many ways, the PAP has been the lifeblood of our country's publishing industry. It is one of the ties that bind our huge country, helping us to overcome differences and distances.  The PAP has linked communities and united regions. It has improved literacy and contributed to the growth of communities and business, particularly in rural and remote areas.

CUPW intends to ask Canada Post President Moya Greene to reinstitute funding of the PAP.  It is high time that the corporation started acting like the public institution it is.

We think Canada Post should be using its profits to maintain and improve service to the public, which includes contributing to public policy programs such as the PAP. We also think that the government should stop siphoning off dividends from Canada Post so that the post office is in a better position to invest in public postal services and public policy programs. 

The union would be very interested in knowing what you think and what you are willing to do to sustain this important program. We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours truly,

Deborah Bourque
National President

c.c. John Hinds, Executive Director, Canadian Community Newspaper Association
National Executive Committee
Regional Executive Committees
National Union Representatives
Regional Union Representatives
Specialists