Mr. Speaker, the people of Saint-Honoré-de-Témiscouata have decided to hold Canada Post accountable.
Canada Post provides a largely insufficient annual amount of a little more than $4,000 for postal outlets in municipalities that have been deprived of their post offices under the brutal closure policy implemented by the Conservatives.
In 1993, rural areas responded by electing members of Parliament who supported the moratorium on the closure of rural post offices. Unfortunately, the post offices that were closed have not been reopened.
The people of Saint-Honoré-de-Témiscouata are sending a clear message to the federal government. The municipality has taken down the Canadian flag from its municipal building. Citizens have put their houses for sale and buy their stamps in Rivière-du-Loup, 20 kilometres away.
Today, the federal government must live up to its commitment and force Canada Post to provide enough money to maintain postal services for all of rural Canada.