CUPW and Canada Post appear before Parliamentary Committee - MPs ask about rural delivery, remail, deregulation and more

On March 26th, I appeared, on behalf of CUPW members, before a parliamentary committee that is investigating Canada Post issues such as remail and rural delivery. Canada Post President Moya Greene and representatives from the Canadian International Mailers Association (CIMA) also appeared before this committee.

The CIMA has been lobbying government MPs and other MPs to review Canada Post’s exclusive privilege to deliver letters. In December 2006, Minister Lawrence Cannon told Parliament that he would review the problems faced by international mailers and examine “legislative options.”

CUPW told the parliamentary committee that the union is opposed to this review and that, in any event, it would be foolhardy to conduct a review that considers the exclusive privilege without a full and public examination of this issue, including any impact on the universal service obligation.  

CUPW believes that the government may undermine Canada Post's ability to provide universal postal service, particularly in rural and remote parts of our country, if it decides to satisfy the concerns of international remailers by removing international letters from Canada Post's exclusive privilege to deliver letters. Canada Post was provided with an 'exclusive privilege' to collect, transmit and deliver letters, including international letters, in order to finance the corporation's universal service obligation (USO).

The union urged the federal government to follow up on its decision to restore rural mail delivery with a complementary decision to maintain the exclusive privilege which funds this delivery. 

Your local has a copy of CUPW’s submission to the parliamentary committee. You can also obtain the submission by going to the union’s website: http://www.publicpostoffice.ca (under Other Documents).

 

Quotable quotes

On liberalization and deregulation: Greene said “Liberalization and deregulation are initiatives and measures that can be done successfully if done in an orderly way. If not done in an orderly way they have disastrous impacts…”

 

On the CD Howe Institute study calling for privatization and deregulation: Greene said “I think the C.D Howe looks at all kinds of issues pertaining to public ownership and regulation of markets and markets that are protected. I don’t think it’s a necessarily adverse thing to have a discussion in this day and age about those markets…a lot has changed in the world in the past 11 years. Europe has liberalized its market, some postal administrations have changed their corporate structure, and others have approached liberalization in different ways than we have.  I don’t think it’s a bad thing that the C.D. Howe, which is a very reputable organization, would raise the profile of these issues.”

 

On the moratorium: Greene said it would be “no problem” to provide the committee with a list of post office not covered by the moratorium. CUPW has been trying to obtain the list of offices covered by the moratorium since last July.

 

On rural delivery and the exclusive privilege:  Conservative member of Parliament Michael Chong said “My constituents are very upset, as am I. We, in our part of Ontario, in southwestern Ontario, do not have much federal government presence except for Canada Post and Canada Post is failing its obligation to deliver mail to rural mail boxes.  It’s the one presence of the Government of Canada and we can’t get it done and frankly, it is an embarrassment. It is one of the most basic elements of a civilization and I’m not one who’s lent to hyperbole, but it is. The ability to carry messages from point A to point B efficiently and accurately has been the hallmark of civilizations for millennia and we can’t seem to do it.  I would also like to remind you that I hear all this talk of profit and the like and having come from the private sector, I will tell you that you are not a for-profit corporation…You have a single shareholder: that is the Government of Canada and you have a monopoly. You have a sacred trust. The government has given you a monopoly, Canada Post, and in return we expect that services will be delivered on less profitable routes, on routes that are far fetch in this country, in places like Nanavut, the Northwest Territories, Yukon, rural mail boxes. We expect universality and we expect the rural mail to be delivered. But if you break that sacred trust, then, frankly, I’m not sure why we have a monopoly.  I am one of these parliamentarians that believes in public delivery of service. I believe that Crown corporations and the public service have a role to play in delivering services that Canadians need. But frankly, when I see what’s going on in my riding and in Mr. Tilson’s riding and in members of the opposition’s riding, I lose my faith in the ability of your corporation to deliver the mail on the basis of that sacred trust. Frankly, if you can’t deliver the mail to the lot line, then maybe it’s time for someone else to do it.”

 

If you have not yet talked to your MP about privatization and deregulation, please take the time to call this week (For further information, talk to your local or go to: http://www.publicpostoffice.ca - go to Take Action).

Transcripts from the parliamentary committee meeting will be available in a couple of weeks. You will be able to view them by going to the following webpage: http://cmte.parl.gc.ca/cmte/CommitteePublication.aspx?SourceId=199612