Government Operations Committee on Sept. 29th, 2016

[Erin Weir, NDP, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

There are definitely different models. One would be to just provide very basic banking services, such as cheque cashing and that kind of thing. Another might be for Canada Post to partner with existing banks or credit unions and deliver the service that way. It just seems like an interesting way to use Canada Post infrastructure that might be really beneficial, especially in more rural and remote areas.

[Greg Wilson]

The only caveat would be that you have high costs to deliver that service compared with even the current banking costs.

[The Chair, Conservative, Tom Lukiwski]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Ayoub, you have seven minutes.

To the witnesses, you may want to use your translation devices.

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Chief Bull, Mayors, thank you for being here with us.

As we told you earlier, this is a new approach and new things are being said that are quite different from what we have heard up to now.

I am going to try to get straight to the point. Are you in favour of Canada Post being privatized?

Mr. Mayor, if you want to start, I will give you the floor.

[Greg Wilson]

What's in a name?

Not to be flippant, but it's so tough these days to know, since so many lines have been blurred.

What you're looking for is efficiency, and efficiency means you look under every rock. I think “privatizing” has so many connotations for so many different people that it's almost like a political hot potato that you don't want to talk about.

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Privatization is a business way of thinking. If you don't want to subsidize something, you need to privatize it.

I'm just looking for a quick answer.

[Greg Wilson]

Sure. I'll just say that if it would deliver it efficiently and effectively, in a cost-effective manner, and give great-quality service, I'd go for it.

[Sandy Middleton]

As Mickey Mantle said following Casey Stengel at the Kefauver hearings, I agree.

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Okay.

Chief Bull.

[Chief Clifford Bull]

Yes, I agree. It seems to be the way governments are going now, with Hydro One and other ministry agencies being privatized for a consideration.

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Thank you for your honesty in answering; it does you credit.

As politicians, you hold positions as mayor, you manage cities, you are the chief of an aboriginal community. There is in fact a service to be provided to the public here, and we all need to be concerned about it. We have talked about people who are vulnerable and who have mobility problems. I wanted to go into that in greater depth.

For people who still have home delivery, does the letter carrier still do their route on foot, or do they do it in a car or a van?

[Greg Wilson]

My observation over the decade that I've lived here is they seem to walk.

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

They walk, like everyone, everywhere.

[Chief Clifford Bull]

For our community, the elder has to walk up the stairs, pick up his mail, and take it home, and for the people who are at home, who can't—

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

You don't have home delivery now.

[Chief Clifford Bull]

We don't have home delivery, so they get somebody, a third party, to write a letter or pick up the mail.

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

My question was more for the other.

It doesn't affect Canada Post, but at the same time, it affects a portion of the public, as the previous witnesses talked about.

You have to make arrangements to pay your bills even if you do not receive them. If there had been a strike at Canada Post and you had not received your bills, you would have had to pay them as usual. The big corporations want you to do that.

Do you have Internet access everywhere in this region? Do you have high-speed Internet access? I imagine that you have more difficulty getting Internet access, the first nations members, but I do not know.

[Chief Clifford Bull]

No, we have access to Internet and you can pay your bills right through the Internet, but people need to be taught how to do that. A lot of elders don't know how.

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

So it's the same for you guys.

Some concerns have been expressed to this committee about seniors and people with mobility problems.

As we visit the four corners of Canada, we want to know what service Canadians want to get from Canada Post in the future.

In your specific situation, in your region, what would you improve at Canada Post? What is there at present that does not suit you and what would you like Canada Post to improve, in order to get better services?

In addition, has Canada Post consulted you in the past about the changes or service improvements to be made?

Mr. Mayor, you can answer first.

[Greg Wilson]

I think the service from Canada Post has been excellent, generally excellent. My only concern is the cost of delivering that service. I would be hard-pressed to find where they could improve, really. I think they do a good job. I've heard comments that Canada Post is very competitive with international shipping, from Canada, that there's maybe a niche there to be exploited more aggressively. I don't have any real problems, though, and I think for handicapped people, people with mobility problems, the issue would be how to determine who gets that service. That would be a tough one, but I think it could be done. You could work that out.

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

A tailor-made service would be a solution.

[Greg Wilson]

We're giving premium service to everybody, door to door, when a lot of people don't necessarily need door to door. The majority don't.

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Your situation is truly unique. I can guarantee you that the testimony today is really very different from what we have heard up to now in Ontario and even in Quebec, when we went to Montreal and Blainville. It is completely the opposite of many of the places we have visited. In French, we would say that this is a little village in Gaul here, for now.

Thank you for your testimony.

[The Chair, Conservative, Tom Lukiwski]

Thank you very much.

We'll go now to the final two interventions, which will be five minutes each. We will start with Mr. Brassard

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I agree with my colleague. The testimony has been almost 100% different than what we heard in southern Ontario. I'm sensing a general satisfaction with the level of service that Canada Post is providing.

However, I will say, Mr. Middleton, that you did cause some laughter around the table when you said that there's not much that would make people jump into the lake. I thought that was a really local.... Well, actually, that's my question for all three of you. What would make people jump into the lake over the current situation with Canada Post or over lack of improvements going forward?

I'll start with you, Mr. Middleton, and then we'll work our way across the panel.