National Farmers Union Submission to the House of Common Standing Committee on Finance Regarding Canada Post and Part 15 of Bill C-9

The National Farmers Union (NFU) would like to thank the Standing Committee on Finance for giving us the opportunity to present our views on Part 15 of Bill C-9.

The NFU is the only voluntary, direct-membership national farm organization in Canada. Our organization represents thousands of farm families across the country.

Our membership takes a keen interest in the future of Canada Post because rural residents are heavily dependent on the mail—they conduct their business and personal transactions by mail far more than is the case for urban residents. For many rural people, including farmers, Canada Post is a critical lifeline and business tool. Because rural people value a strong, viable Canada Post that delivers top-quality, dependable service, we are very interested in the financial situation of the Corporation, including any potential changes to its monopoly on letter mail—an income stream which allows it to fund the delivery of mail to everyone in Canada.

In the NFU’s brief to the 2008 Canada Post Corporation Strategic Review we stated: “The provision of postal services to rural areas is absolutely vital to the viability of many rural communities. … The provision of postal services must be regarded as a right and not a privilege.” Our position has not changed...