A mass protest was held in the national capital, Ottawa, on Sunday over the decision to end home delivery of mail in Canada. Reports indicate between two to three thousand postal workers and concerned citizens joined in the “March to Save Canada Post”
Late last year, the CEO of Canada Post, Deepak Chopra said Canada Post, the national mail service, will face massive debts in the future if action wasn’t taken now.
That action took the form of an increase in postal rates on January 1 with the cost to post a standard letter goig from 63 cents to 85 cents. Chopra also announced the phasing out of home delivery of mail over the next five years, starting later this year.
The jobs of some 6,000 to 8,000 postal workers are to be eliminated, some through attrition
“the postal service belongs to all Canadians “ Lapointe
Sylvain Lapointe, a national director of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers says, “The decision was announced the day after the House of Commons adjourned for the holidays,”.
The union wants public consultations on the issue and Lapointe added, “The postal service doesn’t belong to Canada Post and its executives, it belongs to all Canadians and they deserve a say in its future,”
The demonstrators say there are better ways to deal with the alleged financial problems with the mail service than ending home delivery.
In announcing the cuts, Deepak Chopra said the mail service will move to “community mailboxes” to serve entire neighbourhoods.
Many have expressed concern about vandalism and litter around such mailboxes, but more so about accessibility, especially for the elderly, or people with handicaps.
When asked by a Member of Parliament at a hearing into the cuts, the head of Canada Post responded that seniors have told the corporation they want more exercise and fresh air. with the suggestion that they welcome the idea of walking back and forth to a community mailbox.
“I’ll lend my wheelchair to the people at Canada Post … just do 50 feet with a wheelchair during the winter, I can’t do two feet. It’s too cold with snow and ice,” said Marie-Claude Desrosiers of Terrebonne, Que. “At home, my mailbox is 20 feet from my door but during winter I can’t do it myself because snow and ice [makes] it too cold for me. My boyfriend has to go get them all.”
Robert Campbell, president of Mount Allison University and an author of two books about Canada Post, pointed out Canada is the only country to completely eliminate door-to-door delivery.
Others have suggested Canada Post could improve its financial situation by expanding into banking similar to the situation in the UK, France,and Switzerland. This would be especially helpful in Canada where many small and remote communities are no longer served by banks, but still have post offices.
Many are also concerned about the effect on Canada’s economy by the eventual loss of several thousand full time postal positions.
Sylvain Lapointe said if the government does not back down, the union will target Conservative MPs and candidates in the next federal election.
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