Government Operations committee  Yes, they're taking action every day, but they're an institution that has a tradition, and that has a weight in itself, and unless all the stakeholders that decide on the direction are around the table, to change and bring about change—

Government Operations committee  It was Oliver Wyman.

Government Operations committee  We found that the realities are very different. Consider Denmark, for example, which has completely dropped this service and has gone fully digital. Its population occupies a small land area. The country was therefore able to make certain changes, but they cannot be implemented in Canada because of our huge land area and small population, except of course for the 80% of the population that is concentrated along the U.S. border.

Government Operations committee  Based on what was provided to us, and I think we explored the subject thoroughly, there was no reason to recommend one avenue over another. None of the approaches could be applied in the same way because each country has its own specific features. Consider postal banking, for instance.

Government Operations committee  In our opinion, there should still be an essential service. Let's imagine how things might be in 2020-25. It will not be the same as it is now; there will be differences.

Government Operations committee  In our view, seniors do not have reduced mobility. Canadians have told us they want door-to-door service in order to address mobility issues. That is included in the options we are presenting to you.

Government Operations committee  If you need us, we are available. We have nothing to do other than what you ask of us.

Government Operations committee  Madam Vice-Chair, please allow me. Out of $4.4 billion labour costs, $650 million is management, overhead, and back office.

Government Operations committee  There are two different issues. There's the address one and the neighbourhood. The neighbourhood we know: no flyers, no nothing. It will go down because eventually cost-benefit analysis by businesses will bring them to make more use of the digital approach. Also, the green trend that we are observing might accelerate that phenomenon.

Government Operations committee  It's interesting. The seniors are online much more than you seem to think. That was our surprise in the polls—

Government Operations committee  It's the access and the broadband that is the problem. It's not that they don't want to be there.

Government Operations committee  Under the contract, our first responsibility is to provide you with a report. We are prepared to come back to the committee during or after your consultations. We remain available.

Government Operations committee  That is your job and we really appreciate what a big responsibility it is. Should you need additional details, rest assured that we can provide everything you need in view of the big job you have to do.

Government Operations committee  Well, some will not when it touches the downtown—Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver don't want it downtown. It is not because they're against it; it's just not practical. They don't have the space.

Government Operations committee  Frankly, the more it is planned with the communities involved, the better the situation will be. What we have observed and been told is that there was, for the most part, no real consultation—