Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I represent an association called the Club Lorr « Aînés », a name that was created from the words “Lorraine” and “aînés”, or “seniors” in English.
Our club is affiliated with FADOQ. You will understand that our technical research services aren't very sophisticated, so the report we are presenting will be fairly qualitative.
FADOQ has very fairly described the concept of an adequate quality of life for seniors. Health, safety, well-being and belonging are the fundamental pillars. Quite naturally, home mail delivery seems to us to be a very important aspect of the quality of life.
At a time when the government is making an effort, still insufficient but real all the same, to keep seniors who want to remain in their homes at home, ending home mail delivery seems to be purely counterintuitive.
In May 2014, the Club Lorr « Aînés » asked the City of Lorraine to put pressure on Canada Post to keep this service. In August that same year, we sent a letter to the federal minister responsible for Canada Post, Lisa Raitt, and to the Government of Canada, requesting a stop to the changes to services announced and to consider new sources of revenue. We know that these actions failed.
Community mailboxes have slowly started to appear, but this solution is far from adequate for people with decreasing independence, no matter how slight. We are seeing that winter maintenance of the area around community mailboxes leaves much to be desired. Remember that people deemed to be independent can't get up alone after a fall.
After pressure from some local organizations, a few concessions were made. For example, a 98-year-old woman, who is a member of our club, obtained mail delivery to her home once a week, without having to undergo a medical exam. That is a small consolation.
What can be considered for the future? Bringing back home delivery twice or three times a week? A minimum would be to provide home delivery twice a week to all people considered to be at risk and anyone over 80 who requests it.
I will read some excerpts from the notice submitted by FADOQ in 2015 because it contains some aspects that have just been mentioned.
WHEREAS Canada Post wants to encourage Canadians to use online services, seniors are penalized through their lower rates of connectivity and digital literacy; According to the Institut de statistiques du Québec, close to 32% of seniors age 65 [only 32%!] and older use the Internet. In that same age group, 44.5% use it to pay bills or perform bank transactions. Although seniors increasingly tend to use the Internet, the figures are telling. More than half of them do not use the online services of the various institutions, therefore relying on the mail. WHEREAS we are strongly defending the right of seniors to remain independent at home for as long as possible; FADOQ has been maintaining for many years that it is fundamental for seniors and the government to encourage home support and extending individual independence by strengthening outreach services.
Thank you.