Government Operations committee  Yes, let's do it if it's necessary, but it won't be done because Canada Post delivered more than $1.5 billion to government coffers in the past few years. There is no deficit. Taxes have never been used to fund Canada Post or pay employee salaries. So we're talking about a problem that isn't there.

Government Operations committee  That's why the committee needs to seriously consider the feasibility of a project like this and how to do it. I'm not the one who can tell you now how to do it.

Government Operations committee  Absolutely. Not only do I think it, but I'm convinced of it, too.

Government Operations committee  I would add that a country like Switzerland is a small country of 41,000 square kilometres, while Canada is 10 million square kilometres. Switzerland has a population of barely 9 million, whereas Canada's is 35 million. Switzerland has 383 well-established banks and registered institutions.

Government Operations committee  Absolutely.

Government Operations committee  First off, I would say yes because Deepak Chopra and the board of directors have clearly proven in recent years that they were not open to expanding services. Their sole vision was to cut services and the labour force instead of advocating a more positive and proactive solution when it comes to creating new services.

Government Operations committee  A number of other studies have been done, including the one by John Anderson from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. I don't have that study with me, but it explains why Canada needs postal bank services. The infrastructure for that service is already in place. This has been done and is being done around the world.

Government Operations committee  First, they are banks in the private sector. I don't think that $35 billion in profits per year for six major banks is an indication that they are not making a profit.

Government Operations committee  It is not profitable for banks in the sense that they are always wanting more. So they are cutting the infrastructure and employees that cost too much. Canada Post, which has the infrastructure in place, does not need to reinvest to pay for a building. I'm not sure whether I've answered your question.

Government Operations committee  Clearly, the banking lobby is very strong in Canada, and I think everyone knows it. Why was it pushed aside? I was not at all surprised. As I said, I think there are conflicts of interest. Some people have their hands tied. It is definitely difficult. As for Deepak Chopra, we have been asking for the expansion of services for a long time during our collective agreement negotiations.

Government Operations committee  I would say that the impact is major, especially in small, remote villages. The post office is often more than just a place where people go to buy stamps or mail a letter. Today, we often rely on the fact that everyone is doing business on the Internet and that everything is done through the Internet.

Government Operations committee  I would like to add something to that.

Government Operations committee  In terms of infrastructure, we talked about this aspect. There are 6,300 postal outlets in the country. It is the largest infrastructure network. We are everywhere, in all the small villages and small communities. As for the qualifications of employees, it is important to note that we are already providing a lot of services, such as money transfers and money orders .

Government Operations committee  We are not denying that the demand for the letter mail service is decreasing. However, as it was amply pointed out, demand for parcel delivery is really booming. That's why Canada Post does not have a deficit. In addition, Canada Post could diversify its services, as is being done around the world.

Government Operations committee  A number of things could be done. In other parts of the world, insurance and telephone products are available. We know there's an Internet problem in some regions.