Mr. Speaker, the motion proposed by the member for Kamouraska-Rivière-du-Loup is rather strange. It reads:
That, in the opinion of this House, the government should ask Canada Post Corporation to integrate into its development plan a strategy promoting the local development of regions and municipalities in Quebec and Canada.
I say strange because Canada Post Corporation is already promoting the local development of regions and municipalities in Quebec and Canada. Canada Post is everywhere. For instance, there are now over 18,370 retail outlets where one can buy stamps and other products as well as postal services. In Quebec, there are 3,451 outlets. Over 75 per cent of these are presently owned by the private sector. Many of them are found in drugstores, convenience stores, etc. In fact, over 2,000 of these retail postal outlets are managed by small and medium businesses who gain not only from
the revenues generated, but also from the increased flow of clients in their stores.
For the information of the members, I want to briefly recall the historical background of Canada Post Corporation. Organized postal services in Canada began in 1693, when the government of New France paid Pedro da Silva to take some letters from Montreal to Quebec. In 1755, the government opened the first post office in Halifax. The development of postal services followed that of the transportation network. Postal communications are closely linked with the history of Canada. For 300 years, postal communications helped Canadians keep in touch with each other, reduced distances and thus promoted the exchange of information and distribution of goods.
Today Canada Post Corporation delivers 46 million pieces of mail each business day, which are processed through 23 major mail plants and several other facilities, to nearly 12.3 million addresses in Canada and forwards mail to virtually every country in the world. Clearly what we see is Canada Post contributing to a fundamental part of Canadian life.
In June of 1994 the Canada Post Corporation declared that the new corporation is in business to serve. This is no mere slogan. Canada Post has established it as a new way of life. It is a philosophy the corporation wants to permeate every decision it makes at every level. CPC is transforming itself from an operations based organization asking the customers to meet its requirements to one that will go the extra mile to satisfy customers and meet their needs.
This motion addresses development. The Canada Post Corporation knows a good deal about development. This past year CPC has focussed particular attention on improving and expanding its services to small business. It is aware of just how important small and medium size businesses are to the economic growth of the country. The central focus of its new approach is a program of services to business. It now has two business centres, one in Calgary and one in London. These are one stop resource centres, where customers can obtain a variety of information on postal products and services, and Canada Post staff can help businesses to expand by providing owners with a full range of communications and distribution solutions.
Another example of Canada Post Corporation's commitment to small and medium size business is the fact that it has made preferential rates available to small volume mailers-some members may be aware that special rates were, until very recently, reserved in theory for those with a heavy volume of mail. That is what I call development.
Canada Post is a dynamic commercial crown corporation which competes with the open market throughout Canada. Due to this dynamism, Canada Post's competitors, for example the Canadian Courier Association, have frequently charged Canada Post with unfair business practices. Why? It is simple: they cannot compete.
The allegations of cross subsidization are not true, and some recent media reports have even supported the association's proposal that a federal regulatory body be established to oversee the operations of Canada Post. However, hon. members should know that independent quasi-judicial bodies have examined the charges, and the charges of cross subsidization cannot be sustained, whether they are aimed at Canada Post's priority courier service or at the corporation's purchase of a controlling interest in Purolator courier.
The CCA has never produced any evidence to support its cross subsidization allegations. The Standing Committee on Government Operations, the Bureau of Competition Policy, and the National Transportation Agency have all examined the issue. They have never been substantiated. For example, with regard to Canada Post's purchase of Purolator courier, in which no public funding was involved, the director of the competition bureau concluded in November 1993 that "there are no grounds at this time to believe that cross subsidization has occurred or would occur post-merger with Purolator, which would likely result in a substantial lessening or prevention of competition in the marketplace".
The CCA claims Canada Post Corporation is in unfair competition with CCA members, through a monopoly on what it calls a considerable portion of its business. But it is more than one hundred years since Parliament enacted legislation assigning this exclusive privilege in order to guarantee all Canadians will pay the same prices to have a letter delivered within the country. Canada Post is in business to serve all Canadians and exclusive privilege is the only way Parliament could guarantee all citizens access to universal postal service from coast to coast.
The independent review concluded that Canada Post is not abusing that exclusive privilege. Is the CCA implying that Parliament erred when it gave a monopoly to this fundamental element of Canadian life?
Some may question Canada Post's ability to survive in the age of the information highway. The corporation is quite aware that the evolution of new communications technologies such as E-mail,
facsimile, data transmissions, and electronic funds transfers will impact the outlook of Canada Post's traditional mail services.
The postal service recognizes the move toward electronic transmission of information and it has developed a number of value added electronic services, which combined with an unmatched infrastructure will allow the corporation to provide all Canadians with the services they will need as Canada heads into the 21st century.
The corporation is no stranger to technological developments in the communications industry. Canada Post has been involved for years in electronic messaging and it continues to develop new services for the future.
The motion before the House today asks Canada Post Corporation to promote local development. I know of no better way to do this than through the literacy campaign. Canada Post works closely with literacy groups throughout Canada. It launched a reading game to encourage reading among school children. This game is now part of the curriculum in Newfoundland and New Brunswick, and in Winnipeg. It developed a series of videos to raise motivation and awareness.
The Canada Post Corporation does not need to further, through more regulations, a strategy promoting the local development of regions and municipalities in Quebec and Canada. Why not? It is is simple: it has already done so.
Canada Post recognizes that it plays an important role in the social and economic fabric of Canadian life. Although the member for Kamouraska-Rivière-du-Loup is well intentioned, I cannot support the motion that is before the House.