Mr. Speaker, in the first nine months of 2013, mail volumes declined by 184 million pieces compared to the same period in 2012. This trend has been ongoing since 2006 when Canada Post delivered one billion more letters than it did in 2012. This, I repeat, is placing a huge strain on the corporation's finances, which ultimately will become the financial burden for hard-working Canadian taxpayers unless action is taken. The NDP refuses to see this reality. Again last week when debating a motion in the House, the member for Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca said, “We definitely do not have a crisis at Canada Post”.
The Conference Board has projected a Canada Post loss approaching roughly one billion a year just six years from now. Our government is concerned that it is posting significant losses and understands that the status quo is simply not an option.