Government Operations Committee on Oct. 28th, 2025

[Xavier-Antoine Lalande]

A reform of services offered in Canada Post offices and in postal outlets would probably be necessary.

I'd say that in my municipality, services were assessed as part of the reform. For example, services with low demand have been phased out.

Canada Post therefore has flexibility in reviewing its service offer.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

How do people respond to discussions about lifting the moratorium?

Do people ask whether the offices will be maintained or whether everyone will be thrown out to put the facilities to other use?

[Xavier-Antoine Lalande]

Post offices are an emblem. However, I think communities are amenable to maintaining a postal service that would be provided in collaboration with an existing business. This could be an outlet in a convenience store, a grocery store, or a pharmacy.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Let's turn to efficiency. You represent age-friendly municipalities. Quebec now has 1,000 municipalities that prioritize the needs of seniors. Seniors depend on mail, among many other things.

Do the needs of seniors have to be fully accounted for in the reform?

[Xavier-Antoine Lalande]

It's important for Canada Post to consider the reality of seniors and people with reduced mobility. This requires a case-by-case approach, obviously.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

My time is up.

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Thanks very much.

Before we go to Mr. Patzer, we think we have you sorted, Mr. Bartlett. I just need you to put your boom microphone down to a proper level and we'll open questions for you as well.

Mr. Patzer, go ahead for five minutes, please.

[Jeremy Patzer, Conservative, Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley, SK]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I will be ceding my time to Mr. Boulerice from the NDP.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Mr. Boulerice, go ahead, please.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I thank all the witnesses for being with us today for this very important study. I'll start with Mr. Lalande.

Mr. Lalande, an announcement has been made that door-to-door mail delivery for 4 million people across Canada will be discontinued. The installation of community mailboxes alone will cost Canada Post $1.6 billion. You spoke about issues related to snow removal and public health that these mailboxes pose for municipalities. They may also pose a risk of identity theft.

Do you have an estimate of how much it would cost municipalities to maintain community mailboxes, be it only to pick up paper and flyers that will be thrown out and strewn on the ground?

[Xavier-Antoine Lalande]

The municipalities' stance is that they will not agree to take on responsibility for the installation of these community mailboxes or any related issues.

For example, the installation of 30 community mailboxes in one region would require a team of blue collar workers, a vehicle and two employees. This team would be expected to collect recycling bins and garbage cans that will be put up because citizens expect the city to maintain the areas around these mailboxes.

Mr. Boulerice, you could also have brought up the issue of lighting associated with the installation of community mailboxes because this could lead to security concerns.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

In a way, by moving to community mailboxes, the federal government is passing on the bill and responsibility to municipalities.

[Xavier-Antoine Lalande]

That’s what’s hanging over our heads, actually.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Okay.

You talked about the importance of post offices for the social fabric of villages and some communities, and I relate to that.

On the ground, what would be the impact of the massive disappearance of post offices on the vitality of city centres?

[Xavier-Antoine Lalande]

That would affect travel patterns and could spell trouble for businesses in some city centres.

If people have fewer reasons to go downtown as opposed to another area outside the city and villages, this will obviously have a direct impact on the vitality of communities and the economic vitality of cities and towns.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Sometimes, people meet each other when they go to the post office and they may also go to a nearby café or restaurant with a friend. These opportunities to meet people would be reduced.

Isn’t that so?

[Xavier-Antoine Lalande]

Yes, that’s right.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Deegan, I'm concerned about the future of local and regional news organizations and weekly and community newspapers.

In your opinion, what is the future of local and regional weekly newspapers if home delivery postal service is phased out?

How will that affect them?

[Paul Deegan]

It would be disastrous for many community newspapers. Many of the hebdos in Quebec, for example, rely on Canada Post, so it would be disastrous. For what I would describe as an urban daily, often they have their own carrier arrangements in large cities. However, especially in rural and remote areas, this would be devastating—there's absolutely no question about it—and that means those communities would be deprived of news about their democracy, and news covering police, school boards, courts, etc.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

How much time do I have left, Mr. Chair?

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

You have 20 seconds.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Okay.

In this case, I'll cede them to you, Mr. Chair. I'm very generous.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Thank you, Mr. Boulerice.

We will go to Ms. Sudds for five minutes.

[Jenna Sudds, Liberal, Kanata, ON]

Thank you very much, Chair.

Mr. Lalande, thank you very much for being with us today.

You've raised some important points.

In your opinion, what would an effective consultation process with Quebec municipalities look like?

[Xavier-Antoine Lalande]

Are you alluding to the installation of community mailboxes or to the overall reform?