Canadians tell Lisa Raitt no more postal cuts

December 18, 2013

MILTON, ONTARIO – Postal workers delivered over 12,200 postcards of protest to Lisa Raitt, Minister responsible for Canada Post, today at her constituency office in Milton, Ontario. The postcards were signed by Canadians opposing postal downsizing and closures prior to the corporation’s recent announcement that it intends to cut delivery and raise rates.

‘People are angry about the cuts and the fact that the government doesn’t seem to care,’ said Donald Lafleur, 4th National Vice-President of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

Some of the postcards are from Milton residents, while others are from communities throughout the country. They ask Olivia Chow, official opposition critic responsible for Canada Post, to tell Minister Raitt to stop closing and downsizing post offices and instead look at new ways to generate revenue such as postal banking. Chow recently sent this message in a letter to the Minister.

Other party critics have also denounced postal cuts and expressed concern about the government’s upcoming review of its expectations for Canada Post, as spelled out in the Canadian Postal Service Charter.

‘The corporation has closed about 40 urban post offices in the last two years and turned some of the remaining offices into little more than a hole in the wall,’ said Lafleur. ‘It has been brutal and it’s going to get worse now that Canada Post has announced it intends to eliminate door-to-door delivery and hike postage rates.’

Lafleur said the corporation has chosen cuts and ignored other options such as postal banking. New Zealand, Switzerland and Italy made major profits from banking last year.

‘You can’t cut your way to a better future, said Lafleur.

Read more at cupw.ca