Mr. Chairman, Vice-Chair, and members of the committee, thank you for this opportunity to be heard as part of your important work on the future of Canada Post. Thank you, also, for visiting Windsor-Essex in your consultations. I hope more federal institutions will follow your example and visit and consult locally here.
The Government of Canada has important decisions to make on the future of Canada Post. I'm appearing today to urge you to recommend that Windsor—Tecumseh be fully accommodated as part of the government's plan for Canada Post moving forward, including, first, the full restoration of door-to-door mail delivery for all Windsor—Tecumseh households that abruptly lost their service over the 2015 federal election. Second, I urge that Canada Post be directed to co-operate with local governments on an immediate plan for the removal of the community mailboxes that were installed; and that compensation be paid, where appropriate, for the downloaded costs on local municipal governments because of Canada Post's poor local implementation of the community mailbox program. Third, I urge that Canada Post be directed to examine the feasibility of establishing a secure, pre-clearance hub facility in Windsor-Essex for incoming and outgoing Canada-U.S. mail and packages.
Windsor—Tecumseh is unique. I had the privilege to serve as the Liberal candidate in Windsor—Tecumseh over the last election. It was in the middle of that campaign, in August 2015, that Canada Post ended door-to-door delivery for many local households, mainly in the town of Tecumseh and in a small area in east Windsor. This was an intense local issue of concern. Canada Post so poorly managed the ending of door-to-door delivery and the switch to community mailboxes in Windsor—Tecumseh that it cannot be allowed to stand. The local decisions on door-to-door must be reversed; good governance moving forward demands nothing less.
Local decisions were driven by political imperatives—beating the election deadline—and not about service or even business. The proof of this is in the complete disregard demonstrated by Canada Post for public health and safety with the installation of the community mailboxes. Safety concerns, something that should be paramount at all times for customers, employees, and the local community, were but secondary considerations. The imperative was to get the community mailboxes in the ground, by whatever means necessary, and not about safety and delivering a quality service for the local residents. This was bad faith. Local residents deserve better from Canada Post as a federal crown corporation that enjoys the privilege of the legislative monopoly. The political comparative, combined with poor local consultations and limited public information, led to the imperfect storm of poorly installed local community mailboxes.
The Liberal position on Canada Post improved over the election campaign, from supporting a moratorium on community mailbox conversions to a commitment to restore door-to-door mail delivery. That's critically important. The focus has to remain on services towards this end. Delivering the mail is a vital service for Canadians, and this is at the heart of Canada Post's mandate. Canada Post is not a private business, but a government agency providing a vital public service. No matter where you are in Canada, be it at the top in Alert, Nunavut, or down here at the bottom tip in Windsor-Essex, you should enjoy similar levels of service. Locally, in Windsor—Tecumseh, that means the restoration of door-to-door mail delivery to those households that lost it in August 2015, and the halting of further conversions from door-to-door to community mailboxes in the future.
Better consultations with the public and local governments are essential. Canada Post has to do a better job releasing information and consulting directly with the public and local governments. As part of the process of restoring local door-to-door service, Canada Post must be directed to work co-operatively with local governments on a plan for the removal of the community mailboxes, including those along Riverside Drive here locally, that were installed in the run-up to the 2015 August decisions.
There is a precedent for the restoration of door-to-door service in Windsor—Tecumseh. Past erroneous operational decisions have been overturned by Canada Post; this is not uncommon in government or business generally. Consider the recent federal government decision to reopen the veterans' office in Windsor. This was the right decision. Similarly, it's now the right decision to restore door-to-door delivery in Windsor—Tecumseh and to treat local municipalities fairly in the process.
Sustainability must form part of Canada Post's decisions moving forward. Canada Post should be directed to examine the feasibility of opening a new local mail hub in Windsor-Essex, a secure operation with custom pre-clearance for all Canada-U.S. letter and package deliveries.
Right now mail delivered in Windsor-Essex gets trucked up the 401, processed, and then trucked back down for local delivery. There has to be a better way, a more sustainable way. Canada Post should be in a position to better capitalize on the local benefits of the Windsor-Detroit gateway and our vital Canada-U.S. trade corridor. Equipped with the right technology, operated by the highly trained and experienced local postal workers, a secure Windsor-Essex mail hub would complement other government priorities in international trade, transportation corridors, sustainability, and innovation.
From 1993 to 1995, I had the privilege to serve as the legislative assistant to the federal minister for Canada Post. At the time, the government of the day passed a motion in the parliamentary process imposing on Canada Post a moratorium on rural post office closures. Although not a perfect mechanism, it was highly effective at significantly curtailing rural post office closures. The Government of Canada can now take a similar approach, imposing the restoration of door-to-door mail delivery, including in Windsor—Tecumseh, and a moratorium on future conversions. This could be subject to five- to 10-year reviews.
Thank you, and I welcome any questions.