Government Operations committee  That's definitely true. Whether you're talking rural or urban areas, if you look at it from the perspective of official languages, every year the numbers show that service in both official languages is lacking in private outlets. Our members in the Canadian Union of Postal Workers who provide retail services tell us that most of the complaints they get from the customers are about the franchises down the street.

Government Operations committee  I have two sentences left.

Government Operations committee  The provincial governments have amended their legislation to ensure that public sector entities are exempted. It's time for the federal government to follow suit. We encourage you to recommend that Canada Post's pension plan receive a permanent exemption from the requirement to make solvency funding payments.

Government Operations committee  Good afternoon. My name is Donald Lafleur. I'm the vice-president of the Canadian Labour Congress. I'm also a member of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. I'm a postal worker going back to 1977 and a member of the national executive board going back to 1989. On behalf of the 3.3 million members of the Canadian Labour Congress, we thank you for the opportunity to provide our input into this review.