Government Operations committee  However, postal workers actually work in the community and are part of the community, so we know, from talking to our customers, what they need. For us, expansion of services is a great opportunity for Canada Post to secure revenue, especially with postal banking. We've changed what we mostly deliver, from letter mail to parcel mail. That delivery method is a lot different now. As well, many people shop online.

Government Operations committee  I know that in the last meeting we held with individuals from Canada Post and PSPC, we heard that, despite the moratorium on closing rural post offices, over 600 post offices have been closed, and we've talked about that again here today. We've heard that's 600 over the last 30 years, so that would be about 20 post offices a year.

Government Operations committee  I would be very curious to see the list that Canada Post would produce to send that. I imagine that's where it was coming from.

Government Operations committee  Simpson, you outlined the critical role that post offices play in rural communities. Again, at the meeting where Canada Post presented, we heard from them that they have developed a long-term strategy and a transformation plan that they believe is not dictated by their financial position, whether they're running a deficit or not.

Government Operations committee  Our members are paying out of pocket in order for the post office to be maintained. That's something we are pushing with Canada Post, because nobody should have to pay to go to work.

Government Operations committee  I understand that other members have asked for another change as well, so I'm going to try my best to get through this in one go. That the committee order Canada Post or Public Services and Procurement Canada to produce a complete list of the 600 rural post offices that have been closed since the 1994 moratorium, with the location, dates of closure, stated reason for closure, and that, no later than Friday, April 26, 2024.

Government Operations committee  There was one other small change there, Mr. Chair, and that was to indicate that it could be either Canada Post or PSPC that could provide the information. The other tiny change was that I noted that we used the two names of the department interchangeably, the old name being Public Works and the new name being Public Services.

Industry committee  I've met with a number of the members of CANON, which include the big five banks, Rogers, Telus, Loblaws, Sun Life, Microsoft, the CRA, Canada Post, StatsCan and Health Canada. I look at those big corporate entities, and I know that when I met with those big corporate entities, they weren't interested in a narrowcast of a tight definition because it's not in their interests to be able to be restricted in that way.

Government Operations committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Ms. Simpson and Mr. Jones, every five years, Canada Post must review the Canadian Postal Service Charter, which should have been done in 2023. We are told that it has been in the works for a year, but that there will not be any major changes because the charter is working well.

Government Operations committee  We see communities go from having a Canada Post post office to having a contracted-out franchise situation with a local business. Do we ever see the opposite occur? Do we see services that have been contracted out brought back in-house, or is it largely a one-way street?

Government Operations committee  I know that in the province of Quebec there was a gentleman who actually used a boat as well as a helicopter to deliver the mail. It's very important for us as postal workers to ensure that Canada Post brings back, for those who lost it, door-to-door delivery, and to ensure that those who have it keep it as well. That means ensuring we deliver parcels to the door along with the other products people require.

Government Operations committee  Also, the service charter mandates innovation in expansion of services to meet people's changing needs. We are pushing Canada Post to do expansion of services to ensure that nobody is left behind.

Government Operations committee  Any time a technology happens at any company, especially at CUPW with Canada Post, we have what's called “consultation and tech chains”. It's very important that our postal workers are included in any decisions made to do that kind of work to ensure that postal workers' health and safety is prioritized with the delivery by drones, but we also know that drones and automation do not pay money or pay taxes back into the community; therefore, for us it's important to keep good, unionized jobs in place but also have technology that ensures that workers are not left behind and that nobody's injured.

Government Operations committee  Competitors are [also] using low-cost gig-economy and contracted labour to offer cost-effective delivery solutions, while increasing their delivery speeds. CUPW has previously stated that Canada Post's “sales software encourages offering [customers] the premium services (like Xpresspost) first, then the regular services”. Ms. Simpson, could you explain the different levels of service for parcel deliveries and how the cost discrepancies can disproportionately affect rural and remote Canadians?

Government Operations committee  The Canadian Union of Postal Workers, or CUPW for short, is working to find new ways to ensure the financial viability of Canada Post without closing post offices or cutting jobs, while at the same time providing new services. You mentioned a number of realities in remote areas. I experienced these realities back when I was young, since I lived in Fermont at a time when there were no roads.