Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Bertrand, once again, welcome to the committee.
It's been a long road. I know this has been a lot of work for both you and all the committee members. For us, it has meant many long hours listening to stakeholders across the country and gathering valuable input. Retired people and those with mobility issues shared with the committee their fears and concerns about the disappearance of this public service. This is an issue we all care deeply about. Canada Post is a public service that is part of our everyday lives in our communities
As I have already told you, I was disappointed by the report. I was expecting more. I realize you were bound by a specific framework. I also realize that the committee could build on your suggestions to produce a more thorough and perhaps more in-depth report.
From everything I have heard and read, I can't seem to get the image of a pyramid out of my mind. You have Canada Post, the postal workers, and the public being served, a public that has a certain expectation of public service. Everyone has to do their part to make sure that Canada Post has a future. I'll come back to the service issue in a moment.
Given the information in your report and the input you gathered from the stakeholders you questioned, it is clear that the numbers don't match. What's more, they are based on data from 2011, when Canada Post went through a lockout and had to pay out huge sums for pay equity reasons. As far as the deficit goes, you came up with an average estimate and some forecasts, but, as we speak, the numbers we have show that Canada Post is profitable.
Earlier, you said that it wasn't possible to hypothesize too much on new solutions or ways of doing business, particularly as regards postal banking. Conversely, the report contains hypothetical figures for the future, specifically, for the next 10 years. The stakeholders we have met with have told us that those figures do not add up.
I'd like to hear your take on that. I appreciate that the firm did its job and that it was possible to make changes afterwards. I can't get into the nitty-gritty since I'm not an accountant like Ms. Ratansi, but why the difference in the data? Why are there different sets of numbers? Furthermore, and this question bears repeating, why were the financial results of 2011 taken into account despite the fact that it was an unusual year expenditure-wise?