Canada Post  Mr. Speaker, let me start off by saying that Canada Post Corporation operates at arm's length from the government. In fact, since 1981, Canada Post has had a mandate to operate on a self-sustaining financial basis. It is also important to know that Canada Post is responsible for meeting that mandate in managing its own operations, including day-to-day business and financial decisions.

Canada Post  Mr. Speaker, as the member will know, Canada Post delivered one billion fewer individually addressed letters in 2012 than it did in 2006. The Conference Board of Canada, in its report, projected that Canada Post could lose roughly $1 billion a year by 2020. The member will also know, though, that Canada Post, as an arm's-length crown corporation, is responsible for its operations, including business and financial decisions.

Rail Transportation  Mr. Speaker, the member will know that there is a regulatory process for the discontinuance of railways, and that process is being followed.

Rail Transportation  Mr. Speaker, the member will know, with respect to the Newcastle subdivision, that this was a business decision made by a private company. There is a regulatory process in place, which the company is following. While the discontinuance process is under way, CN is responsible for maintaining its track infrastructure.

Quebec Bridge  Mr. Speaker, the bridge was among lands transferred by the government to CN in the early 1990s. CN is the owner of the bridge, and this means CN is responsible for the operation, maintenance and safety of the bridge. The federal government provided $6 million to support CN in fulfilling its commitment to complete a major restoration of the bridge.

Quebec Bridge  Mr. Speaker, I hope to bring some clarity on this issue. Our government recognizes that the Quebec Bridge is a vital crossing for automobiles, freight trains and VIA Rail. The Quebec Bridge is a key enabler of the local and national economy, and a vital link in the social fabric of the community.

Air Transportation  Mr. Speaker, Canadian families work hard to make ends meet, and every dollar counts. When Canadians make decisions about how to spend their money, they must be assured of a voice, a choice and fair treatment. We have already taken action to protect airline passengers, most recently by enacting all-inclusive advertising laws so that consumers can clearly see the real cost of an airline ticket without the hidden fees.

Air Transportation  Mr. Speaker, air transport is essential to the lives of many Canadians. This government is keenly attentive to the situations that Canadians face when they travel by air. Canada has a system in place to protect air passengers under the Canada Transportation Act, and this government has undertaken a number of actions to both improve and reinforce it.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I listened to the member's intervention and want to move to the issue of postal banking and ask a number of questions on that today to find out whether the member supports postal banking without having the facts, or whether he has the facts and that is why he supports postal banking.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it was the Liberals in 1981 who established Canada Post as an independent arm's-length crown corporation and in law gave it a mandate to be financially self-sustaining. The Liberals doubled the price of stamps when they did it, too, but that is a different issue. The Liberals gave Canada Post the mandate to be financially self-sustaining.

Business of Supply  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.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am glad we have returned to the question of New Zealand. The New Zealand post office created the Kiwibank and capitalized it out of postal revenues to the tune of about $360 million. This is a country, by the way, of about four million people. Kiwibank has been very profitable—the member is correct—but it is cannibalizing postal services, actually.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the member will know that at the transport committee, in a hearing on December 18 of last year, not only was Canada Post called to explain and defend its five-point plan, but we also heard from other important witnesses. They were academics on the left and right, groups of Canadians who have disabilities, and we heard from the union itself.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I just want to clarify something with respect to door-to-door delivery. I have lived in an apartment building. I have lived in an urban setting with a community mailbox. I have lived in a rural setting with a box at the end of a laneway, and I currently live in a small urban centre with door-to-door delivery.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I have a simple question that I would like to ask the member. If maintaining existing door-to-door delivery is an essential service, which is currently only delivered to one-third of Canadian addresses, is the member saying that it should be expanded to the other two-thirds of Canadian addresses, which do not receive door-to-door delivery?