Evidence of meeting #49 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.
3:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
Thank you very much, and thank you for the testimony.
I have a question. I will invoke the right of the chair on this. You have a casino across the street. Where do they do their banking? Is it in Selkirk or Winnipeg?
3:10 p.m.
Director of Operations, Brokenhead Ojibway Nation
They are a totally separate entity from us. I don't know.
3:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
Okay. I would just assume that they have fairly heavy financial transactions with whatever bank they're using—
3:10 p.m.
Development Corporation, Brokenhead Ojibway Nation
An armoured vehicle comes out, so they have that service.
3:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
Clearly, a local bank with the ability for overnight deposits or transactions of a fairly basic nature like that would benefit one of your largest employers, I would assume.
3:10 p.m.
Development Corporation, Brokenhead Ojibway Nation
Our businesses would benefit from an overnight deposit box as well. Keep in mind that we basically operate Monday to Friday. As well, our businesses are open Saturday and Sunday. Those are busy days. There could be a lot of—
3:10 p.m.
Director of Operations, Brokenhead Ojibway Nation
[Inaudible--Editor]—in the community right now that's almost at the $2 million mark that they bring in each year.
3:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
That's interesting.
Thank you very much. I thank you all for being here and taking time out of your busy schedules.
Should you have additional information that you wish to provide to us that would help us in our deliberations, you can certainly direct it to our clerk. You can get her coordinates before you leave here today.
We'll be drafting a report and tabling it in Parliament probably in the latter part of November, so if there's anything else you would like to provide to us by way of testimony, if you could get it to us within the next 10 days or so—
3:10 p.m.
Development Corporation, Brokenhead Ojibway Nation
Just to understand the process, you will compose the report and report back in November. Are you reporting on recommendations?
3:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
I can't speak to exactly what form the report will take, but we've heard a number of recommendations. We will certainly be reporting the recommendations that were made by panellists such as you coming in.
Whether the committee itself determines to make a committee recommendation is yet to be determined, because we haven't had that discussion yet. Certainly we'll be including all of the recommendations and suggestions, compiling what we've heard over the last three weeks.
3:10 p.m.
Development Corporation, Brokenhead Ojibway Nation
What is the end result? You're going to make the report to....
3:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
—to Parliament. The minister responsible for Canada Post, the Honourable Judy Foote, will obviously be very interested in reading that report. At some point in time, I suppose the minister will make some recommendations or perhaps deal with issues at Canada Post that we've identified, but it will be a government-to-Canada Post decision-making process.
3:10 p.m.
Development Corporation, Brokenhead Ojibway Nation
Okay. We all understand that Canada Post is a revenue-generating entity, and like any other business, it looks to be more efficient and responsible with its funds.
Is this a fact-finding mission for Canada Post to figure out how to be more efficient, or to cut other services, or anything like that?
3:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
It's a fact-finding mission for the government—for the minister, primarily—who requested that this committee deal with the study; it's not so much for Canada Post.
Obviously there are issues between stakeholders and Canada Post itself. We've heard, for example, many of the unions representing workers in Canada Post say that Canada Post is in their opinion financially stable right now. Others, including Ernst & Young and the task force responsible for looking at the long-term financial viability, have indicated that in their opinion Canada Post is facing a very serious deficit situation.
We're trying to hammer out what's right and what's real, what's right and what's not, and all of those considerations will be taken into account when we begin our deliberations before the final report is drafted.
3:10 p.m.
Development Corporation, Brokenhead Ojibway Nation
Do we get to see a copy of the report?
3:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
Anything that's tabled in Parliament will be available, absolutely.
Thank you all for coming.
Now officially we are adjourned.