Government Operations Committee on Oct. 5th, 2016

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

I believe we should keep our word. Indeed, throughout the campaign we campaigned on saving home mail delivery. People voted for us and for the NDP on that basis. The very reason you put yourself there, the very reason people put us in Ottawa, was to keep our word. I think that given the explicit promise we made, given that we were continually challenged as to whether it was genuine, that anything else would be a deception, quite frankly.

[Nick Whalen, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

I've been saying at committee now for a few weeks that we did keep our promise. As soon as we were in office, one of the first things the Prime Minister did was to say there would be a moratorium on this. That was put in place before the cabinet was even sworn in. The second thing was that consultations would happen to determine the future of Canada Post. We're seeing those consultations now. I've been saying for a number of weeks that we have kept our promise and now we're moving on to the next stage and that we're open to all possibilities.

When we look at the financials that have been presented by the task force, it's quite clear that unless something has changed, there is going to be a severe financial impact on the corporation to the point where it won't be able to be self-sustaining. One of the proposals is the possibility of achieving an additional $320 million in savings per year. They've already notionally earned $880 million in savings through the community mailbox transformation. If we don't go this route, are the people of Charlottetown amenable to tax increases or other subsidies to help fund the $400 million shortfall that our not moving to community mailboxes would require?

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Government is all about making choices.

Mr. Whelan, when you say that we've kept our promise, in bold letters on page 34 it says that we will save home mail delivery. We had home mail delivery on election day and now we don't. To say that maintaining that status quo would allow us to say with a straight face that we've kept our promise, I beg to differ. In terms of the dollar trade-offs, Canada Post is a crown corporation, but it's there to provide a public service, a public service that is near and dear. Our election commitment was for home mail delivery.

Will there be trade-offs? Of course there will be trade-offs; that's all part of governing.

[Nick Whalen, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

We've also heard from different groups who talked about the relationship between management and labour, between management and the government, between management and people in the consultation process. From your understanding, even if we move in a new direction for Canada Post that requires an expansion rather than a contraction of service, do you feel that the current management can deliver on that promise?

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

After what happened in the six days after the election, I have no faith in the management of Canada Post. I think for them to have thumbed their nose with such an arrogant and disdainful attitude when....

You're a lawyer, Mr. Whalen, and you'd be well-familiar with the concept of judicial notice. It was so open, notorious, and well-known across the country that the incoming government had committed to saving home mail delivery. The management and the leadership of Canada Post thumbing their nose at the government has poisoned my view of their capability to behave responsibly going forward.

[Nick Whalen, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

Thank you.

Ms. Carroll, turning to the fear and safety issues surrounding community mailboxes, this is a question that I have been asking in the different communities we've gone to. Does your organization have statistics, or is it collecting data on actual thefts, muggings, or assaults that are occurring at the community mailboxes in this area in Charlottetown?

[Marcia Carroll]

No, we don't have the capacity to do that. We have anecdotal information, as people have called us and told us their story. We always encourage them to contact the police. It's not our role in the community to collect statistics. That's not what we're doing.

[Nick Whalen, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

How many incidents would you say you get in a year of a person, one of your members, being—

[Marcia Carroll]

We haven't had the community boxes in Charlottetown for a year. Has it been a year?

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

In two weeks it will be.

[Marcia Carroll]

Yes, so we probably have had 10 to 15 incident reports in that time.

[Nick Whalen, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

Before that period, there would have been community mailboxes in other neighbourhoods on Prince Edward Island. You're a pan-Prince Edward Island organization.

[Marcia Carroll]

Yes.

[Nick Whalen, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

There would have been community mailboxes across the province in different neighbourhoods. Any new housing development since, I guess, the 1990s would have them.

[Marcia Carroll]

Yes, that's right.

[Nick Whalen, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

What would be the rate then for assault and muggings at those community mailboxes?

[The Chair, Conservative, Tom Lukiwski]

Make it a brief answer if you could, please.

[Marcia Carroll]

Traditionally, we got calls about access to those mailboxes, not necessarily about incidents of crime.

[Nick Whalen, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Tom Lukiwski]

Mr. McCauley, for seven minutes, please.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Thanks for joining us today. Mr. Casey, thanks for welcoming us to your beautiful city. It's a pleasure for me to be here for the first time.

Ms. Carroll, thank you for your advocacy for seniors and the disabled. I have a background in that care as well. It's nice to see so many people coming out to every one of our meetings.

The door-to-door delivery for people with mobility issues, I understand. Canada Post will deliver daily to the community mailbox. Arrangements can be made that once a week, they will pick it up and deliver it to a person's house. This is available across the country; it's not just here, but in my own riding.

Are you aware of that being available? Do you think it's a suitable alternative or compromise? The community mailboxes are becoming reality, and this service is available.

[Marcia Carroll]

Yes. One of the issues that we heard around that particular process is the medical documentation for who actually has a disability and who should receive that service.

The question becomes: do we put a big sign on their house that says this is a person with a disability and they need to have their—

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

I think we need to do a better job through the Canada Post reorganization to communicate that. There is a lot of misinformation. We've heard fables about it costing $300 to a $1,000 to get a note for home delivery, when nothing is required for that financially.

[Marcia Carroll]

Right.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

If that could be properly communicated to the groups, would that help?