Judy Foote

[Petitions, February 13th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is also from my constituents, who are concerned about mining. The petitioners want the creation of a legislative ombudsman mechanism for responsible mining.

The petitioners are saying that there is not enough oversight in terms of mining practices. Therefore, they call upon the Government of Canada to create a legislative ombudsman mechanism for responsible mining.

[Petitions, February 13th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today.

The first petition is on behalf of my constituents with respect to hydraulic fracturing.

The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to ban the practice of hydraulic fracturing. They are speaking to the process itself and what is required for it to take place.

The petitioners point out that several Canadian provinces, as well as several U.S. states, have halted the practice. The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to do the same.

[Veterans Affairs, February 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the government closed nine regional Veterans Affairs offices that offered front-line services to save $4 million. The same government spent $30 million to commemorate the War of 1812. That could have kept these offices open for a further seven years to help today's veterans.

Canadians witnessed the disrespect the Minister of Veterans Affairs has for our veterans when he kept them waiting an hour for a meeting and then lectured them. Can we expect the same kind of contempt for veterans and misplaced priorities in this budget, or will the government do the right thing and reopen these regional offices?

[Winter Olympic Games, February 10th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Team Canada on winning the silver medal in the figure skating team event at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. Among the nine-member team was Kaetlyn Osmond, who is from Marystown in my riding of Random—Burin—St. George's. This weekend I joined in the excitement at St. Gabriel's Hall in Marystown with Kaetlyn's family, friends, and fans to watch her outstanding performance in the short program.

As a two-time Canadian champion, Kaetlyn continues to show the world she is a world-class figure skater. She placed eighth at the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships in London, Ontario, and now she can add an Olympic silver medal to her growing list of accomplishments.

People in the entire province of Newfoundland and Labrador and many throughout the country, including in Alberta where she trains, look forward to cheering Kaetlyn on as she contends for another podium finish, this time in the ladies' individual competition on February 19 and 20.

I ask all members to join me in congratulating Kaetlyn and her teammates on their silver win and letting them know how proud we are of them as they continue to compete in Sochi.

[Business of Supply, January 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that Canada Post has made hundreds of millions of dollars in the past decade. Right now we are asking Canada Post, with the support of the Conservative government, to look at other options, to think outside the box in terms of how to generate more revenue. Instead of saying simply that we are losing money, let us find a way to be more creative, to be more productive. There are ways.

The problem with the government is that it fails to consult Canadians on any kind of recommendation or any kind of policy with respect to making changes. If Canada Post is in a difficult situation, let us work together instead of the government dictating to Canada Post how it should solve these issues.

As for Canada Post being an independent crown corporation, it is interesting that the government chooses to intervene in independent crown corporations when it meets its agenda.

[Business of Supply, January 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I did not hear a question, but I certainly heard a recommendation for the Prime Minister and a suggestion for the Minister of Transport to look at other options and to suggest to or demand that Canada Post look after the interests of Canadians instead of doing something to harm them by cutting services, and in doing so, cutting well-paying jobs that Canadians need. We need to be increasing employment opportunities, not cutting them.

I thank the member for his observation. Clearly, the government could learn some lessons from other countries throughout the world.

[Business of Supply, January 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to speak to the motion today:

That, in the opinion of the House, door-to-door mail delivery is a valuable service provided by Canada Post, and that this House express its opposition to Canada becoming the only country in the G7 without such a service.

Just a few months ago, the Conservative government claimed to be committed to addressing the needs of consumers and middle-class families. Clearly, nothing could be further from the truth. Now the Conservatives are endorsing a plan to further reduce a service provided by Canada Post, which will negatively affect both consumers and middle-class families. With budget 2014 looming, the Conservatives are once again making empty promises to consumers while at the same time drastically cutting vital consumer services such as mail delivery.

This motion speaks directly to residents of Stephenville, in my riding of Random—Burin—St. George's, who will lose their door-to-door mail delivery service as a result of this latest decision. Residents are writing to me to say that this decision will have a serious impact on them and that it will “also hurt people with disabilities and seniors”.

Contrast these legitimate concerns with a callous comment made by the Prime Minister's appointed President and CEO of Canada Post, Deepak Chopra, who suggested that the cuts to mail service delivery would benefit seniors by ensuring that they receive more exercise. This unfortunate and insensitive comment when asked if Canada Post was concerned about the negative impact these cuts would have on seniors proves again that the Conservative government does not understand the needs of aging Canadians. Many will now be forced to commute, sometimes in dangerous conditions and for long distances, should they need to stay connected to the world through the traditional mail service.

Let me just speak about mailbox delivery for a minute, because in rural Canada, we do, in fact, have mailboxes. I can tell the House that they are not something people enjoy having to go to. In fact, depending on where they are located, if they are exposed to the weather, a lot of mail gets ruined. It gets wet. Locks are frozen. People have to try to defrost the locks to get at their mail. In a lot of cases, we have had to ask Canada Post to build shelters to cover the mailboxes.

Pointing to mailboxes as a solution is hardly one that is acceptable to Canadians, certainly not those who have experienced the conditions that those who presently use mailboxes have had.

As is its practice, the Conservative government has once again chosen to not consult Canadians before implementing drastic changes that will impact people from coast to coast to coast. Under the Conservative government, Canada Post is not only drastically reducing services to cut costs, it is increasing the cost of service by raising the price of postage stamps to $1, up from 63 cents, when purchased individually.

For a government that prides itself on being pro-business, it seems to know very little about how to manage the business of mail delivery. Increasing costs while decreasing service may insulate the Conservatives' deficit from expanding in the short term, but in the long term, it will only increase Canada Post's challenges and drive more customers away, ensuring an uncertain future for Canada Post, especially in rural communities.

In addition to cutting delivery services and increasing postage costs, Canada Post also plans to reduce operations and address the cost of labour by cutting between 6,000 and 8,000 jobs over the next five years. These job cuts and the reduction of employee hours will affect not only the employees but the economy of the area, particularly in rural communities, where the loss of well-paying jobs really hits hard.

The fact that letter mail volume has been dropping for a number of years now should have seen the government working with Canada Post to find ways of changing business practices without imposing cuts that will make it difficult for Canadians. Rather than presiding over a slow and steady march to the end of the traditional mail service on which many Canadians still depend, especially in rural communities, the Conservative government should have taken the opportunity to implement creative solutions to encourage more people to use Canada Post.

One solution being suggested by some is to incorporate banking services into post offices to increase revenue, as some countries have done. Of course, to do something different and creative and productive would mean thinking outside the box instead of opting for the easy way out, which is to cut service, and in doing so, to cut employment.

Instead of suggesting sensible solutions, the government put forward a reprehensible tax in the form of a $5 surcharge on all parcels delivered to people living in Fort McMurray. Although I represent a riding in Newfoundland and Labrador, it is well known that a significant number of people from Newfoundland and Labrador work in Fort McMurray, including some of my constituents, who travel back and forth, because they want to work, and do so. However, they are forced to be separated from their families on a regular basis for extended periods of time. This tax imposed an unfair cost for communication between them and their loved ones. Fortunately, the government was forced to withdraw the surcharge because of a public outcry.

One has to wonder why a government that claims to stand up for consumer rights would entertain such a suggestion by Canada Post in the first place, if the suggestion came from Canada Post. The fact is that the Conservative government continues to put its own priorities first while claiming to be acting in the best interests of Canadians, something Canadians will not forget.

While letter mail volume has been declining, parcels and larger package shipments have been increasing, thanks to a rising modern Internet consumer economy on which Canada Post has failed to capitalize. One would think that those involved in the decision-making process at Canada Post would have the support of the government to be creative and to implement policies that would be good for consumers. That certainly does not appear to be the case, unless these decisions by Canada Post play into a political strategy by the Conservative government to create the conditions for the privatization of Canada Post, something we are all fearful of. We seem to be pointing in that direction.

Canada Post says it currently delivers the mail door-to-door to more than five million Canadian households, whose residents represent about one-third of Canada's population. Yes, ending door-to-door delivery is a serious issue, as is the situation that many people in rural Canada face, including many in Random—Burin—St. George's, who are fighting just to keep postal service of any kind in their communities because of decisions made by Canada Post that have been supported by the government.

While the NDP has chosen not to include rural Canadians in its motion today on Canada Post, these proposed cuts to door-to-door service are in addition to the drastic service reductions affecting rural Canadians already. For example, the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association was recently informed by Canada Post that the crown corporation plans to further reduce postal services in 38 rural communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, including Baine Harbour, Frenchman's Cove, Harbour Breton, Harbour Mille, and Rushoon in my riding of Random—Burin—St. George's.

Many of these communities will see their post office hours reduced or the post office closed entirely on weekends. For many people who work, weekends are when they need to be able to access their mail. Despite the dependence of Canadians living in those communities on timely and reliable postal service, they are being totally ignored. These most recent cuts are in addition to those that have already taken place in communities throughout Canada.

The government must recognize that, unfortunately, many rural Canadians do not have the same level of access to high-speed Internet as their urban counterparts. There is all this talk about online banking rather than putting banking services in some postal areas.

The government simply does not understand the situation a lot of people find themselves in, particularly in rural communities. They depend on traditional mail service to communicate. By cutting their access to traditional mail service, the Conservative government is further isolating individuals and businesses from the national economy, which will only increase the urban-rural divide. The federal government has a responsibility to ensure that rural Canadians are not treated like second-class citizens.

I have repeatedly conveyed my concerns about this to the minister responsible for Canada Post Corporation, but nothing seems to happen. All the concerns seem to fall on deaf ears.

In response, the Conservative government continues to abdicate its responsibility by pointing to Canada Post's status as a crown corporation. However, as a crown corporation, Canada Post reports directly to the Government of Canada, to the Minister of Transport.

[Ethics, December 10th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, for eight months Canadians have been demanding answers about the Wright-Duffy affair. How did the PMO know in advance what would be in the Deloitte audit? Why did no one in the PMO tell the RCMP about the two illegal payoff schemes? Why do the staffers involved still hold on to their government jobs?

Would someone on the government side give Canadians an early Christmas present and answer even one of these questions?

[Supplementary Estimates (B), 2013-14, December 9th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals agree to apply the results of the previous motion and will be voting no.

[Supplementary Estimates (B), 2013-14, December 9th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals agree and will vote no.