Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have the pleasure of presenting a petition containing 27 signatures of people from the region of greater Montreal area, particularly from the riding of Verchères—Les-Patriotes, which I have the honour of representing here in the House.
The petitioners draw attention to the fact that rural route mail couriers cannot benefit from collective bargaining to improve their pay and working conditions.
All too often, these workers make less than minimum wage and their working conditions harken back to a bygone era, yet their colleagues in the private sector—who also deliver mail in rural areas—benefit from the right to collective bargaining, like all Canada Post Corporation employees.
The petitioners therefore ask the government to repeal subsection 13(5) of the Canada Post Corporation Act, which denies rural route mail couriers their right to collective bargaining.
I believe the government must intervene as soon as possible in order to put an end to the discrimination against rural route mail couriers that has persisted for years.