Good morning. Thank you for inviting us to take part in the proceedings of your parliamentary committee.
Allow me to return to a point I heard made today. It was noted that only 32% of the population receive their mail at home. That figure does not include people who live in apartment buildings. People who receive their mail at the end of their driveway are considered as not receiving home delivery. I personally live in a 14-apartment building and feel I receive my mail at home because I only have to go down to the building entrance to get it.
I am a Canada Post retiree and assisted in the preparation of the brief that was submitted by the Montreal local of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. I did not print it because I took it for granted that all committee members have access to all information submitted to the subcommittee. However, if you do not have access to it, I will be pleased to send it to you.
The consultation process to date has left me confused. No one had access to all the briefs submitted, unlike in the 2008 process, in which we had access to all filed documents. The City of Montreal conducted a public consultation and we had access to the filed documents. I think it is important that the public be able to read all documents, and I hope committee members had access to them.
I also deplore the fact that the banking services study commissioned by Canada Post has yet to be made public, with the exception of some 100 out of 800 pages, all the rest of which have been redacted.
One also gets the impression that the document that was made public last week was virtually written by Canada Post. If Canada Post had written a report, it would be virtually the same.
The union had discussions with the committee, but, as may be seen from page 39, a number of meetings were held with Canada Post. It is therefore clear that it is Canada Post's vision that has been put forward. In addition, the survey questions are directed. The disaster scenario is presented and people are urged to find solutions in a context of service cuts.
In 2005, the Library of Parliament published a study from which the following paragraph is taken:
According to two consultants, today’s postal administrations can either sink, while continuing to complain about declining mail volumes and electronic alternatives in this world of rapid technological change, or swim, by harnessing new technology, forming new business partnerships, and adopting new ways of doing business to create new products and services that will help them boost their performance and their earnings. From this perspective, the financial services option would seem to be the logical way to ensure the Canadian postal system’s viability.
In 2005, the Parliament of Canada was already discussing banking services for the future. This is 2016, and we are still headed in that direction. The Americans are also considering the possibility.
The report also states that the public may want these services but that very few people are considering using them. If services are offered at a lower cost, more people will likely be interested in them. ATM charges and banking fees in Canada are among the highest in the world. There is room for a lower-cost market that would help the postal service ensure its continued existence.
One million people in Canada do not have a bank account. It is false to say that everything is going well at Canada Post; its charges are astronomical.
Last week and this week too, several caisses populaires in the region closed their doors. The populations of those regions will therefore have nowhere to go to access banking services.
Several thousands of jobs have already been lost at Canada Post. If no new services are offered and cuts are made to existing services, we will lose between 6,000 and 10,000 jobs.
In addition, certain individuals are proposing alternate day delivery, that is to say delivery on every other day. Canada Post has invested approximately $2 billion to enable letter carriers to deliver letter mail, parcels, and all special products. If they are delivered only every other day, it will jeopardize that investment. Delivery service for parcels and all special admail products, such as priority post, cannot work in a delivery system spread over several days. Furthermore, if letter mail is delivered on alternate days, the number of doors will be reduced. This will not necessarily improve cost-effectiveness since, given the volume of mail for delivery, Canada Post will have to make deliveries virtually everywhere every other day.
During the election campaign, and even in its mandate letter, the government asked that people in the middle class be considered and allowed to hold decent jobs. There was also the idea of getting closer to the public. I believe postal service is a major issue in this regard.
What we honestly want you to do is consider all possible options. It is important that Canadians have a financially self-sufficient postal service. Past experience confirms that it has been just that. Lastly, by providing new services, we will ensure the continued existence of our postal service.