Mr. Speaker, listening to the debate today one would think that the problems with postal service in Canada were somehow Canadian only, but in fact, they are happening all over the world.
From a report in the U.K., declining letter volumes have accelerated since 2008, declining by 20% by 2015, at a rate of 3% a year. Losses are increasing for the Royal Mail, and its pension deficit is worsening. The U.K. government responded by privatizing its postal service.
If we look at the independent GAO report in the United States, there is a decline of 27 billion pieces of letter mail, and plummeting revenues with it. There is $90 billion in unfunded pension liability, and it is growing, barring substantial restructuring. They proposed draconian things, like cutting the workforce in half in the United States.
Canada Post has a five-point plan. Canada Post is having similar problems, with one billion fewer pieces of letter mail in 2012 versus 2006. There is no solution, by the way, or no thought about a solution, from the other side; just much more talk and less action, which leads to a growing problem for Canada Post.
I want to point to something the member said. He talked about mail as an essential service, and I presume in the context of door-to-door delivery. He believes the same.
Does he then advocate that door-to-door delivery should be extended to the two thirds of Canadian addresses that do not currently have door-to-door? If so, how would he propose Canada Post, in its current financial situation, pay to expand that service?