Evidence of meeting #9 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was business.
A video is available from Parliament.
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Conservative
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Vice-President, Public Policy, Conference Board of Canada
Something clearly has to give. The only question is, which option or options best meet the needs of Canadians?
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President and Vice-Chancellor, Mount Allison University, As an Individual
Yes, there's a revenue crisis, and you solve a revenue crisis either by increasing revenue or by decreasing costs. This is one element of the solution: to decrease your costs.
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Conservative
Jeff Watson Conservative Essex, ON
Is this structural problem at Canada Post also a global problem that other countries have been trying to address?
Mr. Anderson.
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Research Associate, National Office, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Definitely, and in fact, that's what I take a look at in my study. Every country has addressed this issue, but what I say is that Canada Post has not even looked at the major solution to this crisis.
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National President, Canadian Union of Postal Workers
I'm okay with what he said. In some ways, it has to improve.
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Conservative
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Vice-President, Public Policy, Conference Board of Canada
Yes. We looked around the world too.
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President and Vice-Chancellor, Mount Allison University, As an Individual
Yes, absolutely: a universal problem.
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Conservative
Jeff Watson Conservative Essex, ON
Thank you.
The postal transformation initiative was launched by Canada Post a few years ago.
Mr. Lemelin, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers opposed the postal transformation initiative. Is that correct?
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National President, Canadian Union of Postal Workers
No, we didn't oppose the postal transformation. We accepted the postal transformation because we knew that the technology had to change. We object to the way it has been done. That's the difference, because it was really against the health and safety of the workers.
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National President, Canadian Union of Postal Workers
But we were okay with the new motorized letter carrier, because it was a new way to deliver mail.
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Conservative
Jeff Watson Conservative Essex, ON
I appreciate the clarification.
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives on its website bills itself as a “non-partisan research institute”.
In the interests of full disclosure to the public at this hearing, Mr. Anderson, you were director of parliamentary affairs for the official opposition at one time. Is that correct?
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Research Associate, National Office, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
That is correct, and—
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Research Associate, National Office, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
—that's not something.... It's something right in the biography that I wrote up on this—
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Conservative
Jeff Watson Conservative Essex, ON
Okay. Fair enough.
You've written an opinion on this about the future of Canada Post. Did you submit your opinion directly to Canada Post at any time in 2013 during its consultation process?
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Research Associate, National Office, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
No, I didn't, because I had not completed the work on the study. I felt that this was not.... For me, it wasn't the best to do that at this—