Evidence of meeting #6 for Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) in the 39th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was public.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Post Corporation
Mr. Martin, he is not accountable for the future and the success of Canada Post; I am. I am the person who is accountable, and the board of Canada Post is accountable. He is not accountable for that—
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
You're accountable to the people of Canada, and we have a right to know what you're up to. That's my only point, with all due respect.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Post Corporation
I think you do know what Canada Post is up to.
Canada Post, as you know, publishes its corporate plan, which is a very detailed document; it publishes a very detailed annual report. I'm available to meet with members of this House at any time. I'm available to meet with committees such as this whenever I am called. I think Canada Post is a very transparent corporation, certainly more transparent than my competitors.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Why is this class exemption permanent and automatic? There are many types of requests for information under these categories that could come forward. They're automatically not allowed now by this language, instead of at the discretion of somebody's ruling.
Conservative
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Why is it permanent? Why is it not a 20-year prohibition? This is forever and automatic.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Post Corporation
The act can be changed at any time. I think any provision in an act is only for as long as the act is in place.
I think the harm that is being protected against here is as real today as it was 10 years ago, as it will be 10 years or 20 years hence. As long as Canada Post is a $7 billion commercial entity in an intensely competitive world, that protection is needed.
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My primary question was addressed by Madam Guay, and we got on 24-month.... [Technical difficulty--Editor]
We have some static in our earpieces. Hopefully you can pick this up.
My question has been answered—thank you—but I do want to encourage you, Ms. Greene, to submit suggested language with your amendments as well. Again, I go back to the fact that this committee is always looking for ways to strengthen this act. Witness after witness we've had today has said that it's a very good act, and they like it, but many of them have some minor amendments they think would make the act better. I would certainly encourage you to include the language as well as the amendments so that we can consider this.
Thank you.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Post Corporation
Thank you very much. We will do that.
Conservative
Rob Moore Conservative Fundy Royal, NB
We acknowledge that you're in a competitive environment, and I think the act goes a long way towards recognizing Canada Post's unique situation. You mentioned some of the harms. We had previous testimony on some of the harms that can come to a crown corporation if subjected to some other provisions.
For the benefit of the committee, can you talk about some of the harms that could come to you or your customers, and some of the concerns you would have if the act went beyond what it does?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Post Corporation
Yes. We have literally thousands of large contracts with businesses across this country, through which they have reposed in us the confidence to carry their mail, to get their payments in on time, or to deepen their relationships with their customers. These contracts contain significant competitive information from our customers and significant information on our pricing for different categories of mail, different products, and different services that we provide--services and products for which there are other providers in most markets, including even in parts of the value stream that's considered the protected part of our market.
If that information on our pricing or our costing or how we have developed our pricing were to become available to our competitors, I am certain that it would be incredibly useful, just as it would be very useful for me to have UPS's pricing information and UPS's contracting information and how UPS goes about getting access to its customers and deepening its relationships with its customers. So it would cause commercial harm. I think it's information that would be used, not to provide transparency on Canada Post, but to really improve the position of my competitors in ways that I do not have.
If I speak in terms of my suppliers, in order to put 40 million pieces of mail in 14 million addresses every day in this country, it's a huge logistical exercise that involves many, many suppliers. In fact, Canada Post is probably one of the biggest contracting operations in the country. In order to mail--
Conservative
Rob Moore Conservative Fundy Royal, NB
I want to leave a little time for my colleague, but that does answer my question. I just wanted some of those examples and it drives the point home. Thank you.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Nepean—Carleton, ON
I'd like to open my question by clarifying that this is not a new exemption. The bill does not create a new exemption for the commercial activities of Canada Post. In fact, the exemption already existed in that your entire operation, all of Canada Post, was exempt. In fact we are dramatically reducing the exemption and limiting it exclusively to those things that could be used by competitors against Canada Post. It would not be in the interest of Canadian shareholders, who are the taxpayers, to put their enterprise at a competitive disadvantage against private enterprises. I think that's a more appropriate way of looking at the way the Federal Accountability Act applies to Canada Post.
I'll just conclude by asking whether you agree that opening up Canada Post to access to information will restore more faith and accountability in this crown corporation amongst Canadian taxpayers.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Post Corporation
That's a difficult question. As you know, this is very important to me as the CEO to know that Canadians continue to trust Canada Post. The most recent information I have is that they do. We have an 80% approval rating from our customers. We are one of the top 10 brands of the country. The brand is based upon Canadians' belief in the importance of the security of the mail.
Will this enhance their already very positive view of Canada Post? I don't know. I don't think it will hurt it.
Conservative
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Post Corporation
Thank you for inviting me, Mr. Chairman.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
Thank you.
I might just conclude that we did get a letter from Mr. Feeney, and when it is translated into both official languages I will distribute it to members of the committee. So if you could inform him of that, the committee will get--
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Post Corporation
I will be back to you within hours, if not--
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
No, I have the letter. I'll get it to the members of the committee. Thank you.
The meeting is suspended for a few moments. Thank you.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
I'd like to reconvene the meeting, ladies and gentlemen.
The committee has some business. We have a notice of motion that was given to us a couple of days ago.
Mr. Poilievre, go ahead, please.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Nepean—Carleton, ON
Yes. I submitted a motion two days ago. I don't know if you have the wording or not, Mr. Chair.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
I think it would be appropriate if you moved the motion, so we're aware of it. I think the members of the committee have it.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Nepean—Carleton, ON
I did give you my wording. I don't have it returned to me.