Government must reject reductions to postal services

Report foreshadows major cuts that will hurt our communities

OTTAWA – Conservatives must pledge to maintain essential postal services for all Canadians, New Democrats demanded.

“For over one hundred years, Canada Post has provided a critical and essential service to Canadians,” said NDP Critic for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Olivia Chow (Trinity Spadina). “Instead of service reductions, the government must aggressively explore new opportunities to provide better and expanded services, and generate revenue through e-commerce.”

Canada Post was a profitable Crown Corporation until last year, despite reductions in traditional mail traffic. However, a report released today foreshadows major reductions to Canadians’ postal services. Cuts would mean an end to mail delivery at home in major cities. These cuts would reduce frequency of mail delivery to every other day and restrict employee wages.

Conservatives have been reducing postal services to Canadians while ignoring opportunities to expand Canada Post services. In Germany, Switzerland and New Zealand, postal services have been strengthened to deliver banking and financial services which have proven to be lucrative.

“Canadian communities are already suffering from postal service reductions by the Conservatives,” said NDP Deputy Critic for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Robert Aubin (Trois-Rivières). “The government is solely responsible for the survival of postal services in all communities across the country. It has an obligation to find an alternative to cuts so that entire regions in our country are not, once again, abandoned.”