Mr. Speaker, for several weeks now, officials in several small municipalities in my riding—Delson, Saint-Mathieu, Sainte-Catherine, Saint-Constant, Saint-Isidore, Mercier and Kahnawake—have been concerned about the survival of their postal service. The postmasters and the people in those communities are worried as well.
The Canadian Postal Service Charter issued on September 12 announced that the moratorium on closures of rural post offices would be maintained. Yet that same document also explains the procedure for closing post offices. Pardon me for doubting this government's sincerity.
Closing rural post offices would create division between urban and rural dwellers and could lead to greater isolation of people with reduced mobility and seniors. This public service is necessary for communities' economic viability and social identity.
That is why more than 3,000 people in my riding signed a petition that I have presented on two occasions in the House, calling on the government to maintain the moratorium on—