Evidence of meeting #44 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 community.
2:15 p.m.
Director, Alberta/Northwest Territories/Nunavut, Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association
Well, we've talked about the banking.
I want to explain that in Newfoundland, 84% of the communities do not have a bank; 65% of Nova Scotia communities do not have a bank; and 61% of B.C. communities—
2:15 p.m.
Liberal
Brenda Shanahan Liberal Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC
We do have that submission, so what kind of postal banking services would make sense?
2:15 p.m.
Director, Alberta/Northwest Territories/Nunavut, Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association
Well, it would be cheque cashing, because that is a problem. They have to travel an hour to an hour and a half one way to get to a bank.
A lot of these communities, especially the aboriginal communities....There are 54 communities out of 615 in the entire country that don't have a banking outlet.
I really believe that would assist a lot of people, especially our elderly, because they don't go out of town much. I also think it's a wonderful opportunity to help the rural areas.
2:15 p.m.
Liberal
Brenda Shanahan Liberal Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC
Okay, so postal banking is one idea that you have. What about other ideas? We heard some earlier testimony about a postal centre becoming a community hub, something like a Service Canada outlet.
Do you think that postal workers, postmistresses, and so on would be able to provide help to Canadians regarding tax returns or filling out forms?
2:15 p.m.
Director, Alberta/Northwest Territories/Nunavut, Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association
They often train us on anything new that Canada Post has come up with to streamline or make things easier. They go into detail so that we're all learning the same thing at the same time.
If they decide to do that, it would be easy enough for us all to learn the same thing. If I moved to her town, I would be able to retain whatever I had learned and would still be able to do the job. To me, it would be easy enough to learn new things, and we're willing to learn.
2:15 p.m.
Liberal
Brenda Shanahan Liberal Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC
Thank you very much for that.
Mr. Goldie, what are your thoughts on the strengthening or expansion of the services that would be offered at a local postal outlet?
2:15 p.m.
As an Individual
You know, when I go to the Superstore, I see that they've opened a bank.
I hear that they are taking away from the private sector. Come on—the world is open to everybody. These 50,000 people are all paying their taxes. They are not lined up at Service Canada to get their unemployment cheque.
We can improve our service, and we can move into different fields as the times change. The times are changing. Please don't shortchange these postal workers thinking that they can't add two plus two, that they can't do banking. People are trained, and they can be trained. It can be done.
2:20 p.m.
Liberal
Brenda Shanahan Liberal Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC
Excellent.
Mr. Opstad, I know you had your story and we did hear some testimony about postal workers having ideas that they wanted to offer up to management. I suspect that your story is—
2:20 p.m.
As an Individual
Yes, it was kind of like what that one lady who was here, Debby Kronewitt-Martin, was saying. She seemed to be talking about that, the way that Canada Post management.... That's what I find. They present themselves as nimble, free-thinking, or whatever, yet when you try to present an idea to them, they don't want to even look at it.
I've been trying for six years to have it looked at.
2:20 p.m.
Liberal
Brenda Shanahan Liberal Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC
Excellent. Okay. Let's talk about what Canada Post means to Canadians then. Can we talk about just what that brand is? Do you think it's a brand that has been enhanced or diminished, or is maybe not important? What are your thoughts?
2:20 p.m.
Director, Alberta/Northwest Territories/Nunavut, Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association
I've talked to my customers, and they're very focused on online shopping, because out where I am, they don't feel like driving an hour and a half to pick up and do all their shopping, so they do a lot of online shopping. We need to continue working on that. I know we're part of Purolator. Some of the courier companies will not come all the way out to Veteran, so they hire Canada Post in Calgary and Edmonton to deliver.
2:20 p.m.
Liberal
Brenda Shanahan Liberal Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC
Do you think there are actual opportunities there for Canada Post to increase that business that is already increasing on its own?
2:20 p.m.
Director, Alberta/Northwest Territories/Nunavut, Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association
There are for sure, even if, let's say, we close the post office for two or three hours to go deliver within the town and do theirs instead of having UPS—well, UPS doesn't like to come out—or all of the other companies do that, if we could work more on getting more of that courier.
2:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
Thank you very much.
Mr. Clarke, the floor is yours for five minutes.
2:20 p.m.
Conservative
Alupa Clarke Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
If I understand correctly, you are all Canada Post employees, including Mr. Opstad.
Thank you for your work. It is a service for Canadians. You are sustaining and enriching the national symbol Canada Post represents.
Mr. Goldie, unless I am mistaken, you left Canada Post two years ago. Is that right?
2:20 p.m.
Conservative
Alupa Clarke Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Did Canada Post's management consult your spouse, your son and you before the changes were implemented in 2013? I am talking about the five points and the various changes put forward by the postal service.
2:20 p.m.
As an Individual
I wasn't informed of anything. Basically I was a common man who went to work every day. I polished my shoes; I pressed my shirt; I went to work. I know of no five-point plan. The only five-point plan I know is to get up in the morning, pay my bills, go to work, kiss my wife, and go to bed. That's the only five-point plan I know of. I'm afraid I don't know what you mean.
2:20 p.m.
Conservative
Alupa Clarke Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Okay, thank you.
Ms. Brousseau, can you tell the committee what a typical day in the life of a postmaster consists of?
2:25 p.m.
Director, Alberta/Northwest Territories/Nunavut, Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association
We go in and we open up the post office. We have customers come in throughout the day. I myself am a postmaster who also does supplies for other post offices, so I keep busy. Sometimes, however, our delivery outfit, our supplies, will come out by a different courier rather than through Canada Post, which doesn't make sense to me. Why are we getting another supplier that hires another courier company to deliver our supplies?
2:25 p.m.
Conservative
Alupa Clarke Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
What does having a post office in a rural region mean for you? You are fully engaged. You live there and you completely personify the national symbol Canada Post represents. What does Canada Post means to you?