Canada Post under fire - TheChronicleHerald.ca

Canada Post under fire (Editorial)

 
 

 
 

Wed. Apr 23 - 4:48 AM

CANADA Post can't win. The post office says it's costing too much money to deliver mail free for MPs and senators, a Nova Scotia MP questions the post office's motives in reassessing rural deliveries, and now a special panel has been struck to review its overall operations.

 

Postal officials say they're losing millions of dollars annually because MPs and political parties are sending more mailouts to constituents. Despite the $22.2 million in annual subsidies Ottawa now pays to Canada Post to cover the costs of keeping politicians in touch with voters, postal officials want more money to perform the task. Details obtained by the Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act revealed a special project, dubbed Six Sigma, that showed Canada Post is being shortchanged by free mail for politicians. However, the post office refuses to give exact amounts on how much more mail is being delivered for politicians and their parties, and at what cost.

 

Canada Post can't have it both ways. The corporation should reveal how much money it's losing, or be prepared to absorb the losses. To claim the need to protect "commercial confidentiality" doesn't wash with taxpayers, who are being asked to foot the bill without being provided all the facts. Politicians should be required to make public everything they're sending to their constituents via free postage. If MPs, senators and political parties are abusing their special mailing privileges, it's time to change the practice.

 

Kings Hants Liberal MP Scott Brison has his own battle with Canada Post. Mr. Brison objects to the review underway by the post office to enhance the safety of those who deliver the mail, saying the exercise is aimed at depriving seniors of rural delivery and forcing them to pick up their mail at central locations.

Canada Post is obligated to protect its workers, some of whom feel unsafe in dropping off mail at certain rural boxes. Mr. Brison does more harm than good by questioning the motives of Canada Post. It's fine for him to try to help his constituents, but he'd serve them better by working at solving delivery problems, instead of undermining the entire process with a smear of the post office.

But Canada Post has more to worry about than Mr. Brison. Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon on Tuesday named a panel to review how the mail carrier operates and what it needs to do to stay viable. Mr. Cannon says Canada Post will not be privatized, but steps will be taken to ensure it remains viable and serves the needs of Canadians.

Canada Post is an institution Canadians love to hate. Reviewing its mandate is both timely and necessary, to ensure it serves the needs of its customers while remaining a viable operation.

 
 

Inserted from <http://thechronicleherald.ca/Editorial/1051537.html>