Evidence of meeting #43 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was service.
10:40 a.m.
As an Individual
That's something I really haven't given much thought to. I would have to have some time to think about that.
10:40 a.m.
Conservative
10:40 a.m.
As an Individual
I think you could definitely talk about part of the paradigm change, but you're also asking them to change the services they deliver and the way they deliver them, so maybe there are opportunities with that.
10:45 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
Thank you very much.
Our final intervention will come from Madam Ratansi.
You have five minutes, please.
10:45 a.m.
Liberal
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
Thank you very much.
Thank you. You guys have created such a buzz for me because you are all creative. You have had critical thinking as a change manager.
If you come up with ideas, why can't Canada Post come up with the same ideas, knowing that it has these strengths? It has the logistics, a delivery network that is unparalleled, and it has the assets, real estate. It's already there. Why doesn't it come up with creative thinking to bridge the divide between the rural and the urban?
10:45 a.m.
As an Individual
In my experience, most times that happens because management has actually set the parameters in which people are allowed to think and give ideas.
When I work with groups about ideas—and I engage at all levels of the community—I hear endless amounts of ideas that are presented and that people want to follow. They were never given the opportunity. I can tell you right now, I would lay a month's salary on the fact that there are people in Canada Post who would give you countless ideas. They were just never given that chance.
10:45 a.m.
Liberal
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
The unions have told us about a lot of creative ideas, and some people pooh-pooh these ideas. When you are not in a growth mode but you are in a cut mode, you can't think beyond cutting. I'm an accountant by trade. I have done insolvency. I've done all sorts of things. You have to have the right mindset.
Interestingly enough, you talked about parameters. From your analysis of things that are going on, do you think Canada Post, by the previous mandate, was given a parameter to dismantle, or cut, or what?
10:45 a.m.
As an Individual
From reading that report, what I see was that they were given a parameter of “these are the services you provide, nothing more”. They weren't given the opportunity to discuss partnerships, to....
I talked about partnerships with the provinces. I said we have a problem right across this country providing services in diverse areas that are hard to reach. They weren't given that opportunity. They weren't given the opportunity to sit down with city councils or town councils and say, “This is what we need”.
10:45 a.m.
Liberal
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
So there is no integrated thinking, because....
The CEO is the highest paid civil servant, and he should be thinking critically. Thank you.
10:45 a.m.
As an Individual
Thank you. I'm saying integrated thinking, and move to “and”.
10:45 a.m.
Liberal
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
“Or”, okay.
Mr. Newell, you talked about other services and opportunities that Canada Post has not taken into consideration. How would you like them to move forward with providing better services and better opportunities?
Of course, we have looked at the Ernst and Young assumptions, and we'll have to challenge those assumptions as well.
Thank you.
10:45 a.m.
President and Chairman, North Edmonton Seniors Association
It just seems to me that when I look around my neighbourhood and see the things that happen on a day-to-day basis, more and more business is being taken away from Canada Post by other groups. I question why that has happened. Canada Post had the infrastructure. It had all of the people in place. It had all of the possibilities, yet they're losing the business to other people.
It's not being done for free. It's not being done by volunteers. People are paying for those services, but they're not paying Canada Post. They're paying somebody else. Why are they doing that?
10:45 a.m.
As an Individual
I would start to develop partnerships. I would start to work with the provinces and municipalities to develop the list of potential services they can share. As I said, I would actually develop that platform to say this is what we will do in different centres. There would be that shopping cart. This is what this centre can do. I would expand its role to be, if you will, a service provider rather than just a postal service provider.
10:45 a.m.
President and Chairman, North Edmonton Seniors Association
I think one of the problems we see continually is that the levels of government don't talk to each other. We have a very good relationship with the city. We're beginning to develop a very slight relationship with the province. We have no relationship whatsoever with the federal government. We have had no support from it. We have had absolutely no indication that it is willing to support us. On the one hand, we see it wants to keep seniors in their homes. On the other hand, we see it is going to take postal service away and make it just a teeny bit harder. I don't understand.
10:50 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
Thank you very much.
To all of our panellists, thank you so much for being here today. We appreciate your testimony. Should you have additional information you wish to present for our benefit as we conduct our deliberations, you can please submit that directly to our clerk. I would ask that, if you're going to do that, you do so probably within the next 10 days to two weeks, since we will be tabling a report in Parliament toward the latter part of November.
Thank you once again. Your testimony has been excellent.
We are adjourned until 1 p.m.
