BY MAIL AND EMAIL

Mark Holland, MP
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

Dear Mr. Holland:

Re: Support call for a moratorium relating to rural mail delivery plus follow-up on earlier request for party positions

Canada Post is currently reviewing roadside mailboxes. As a result of this review, the corporation has informed many rural residents that they can no longer have roadside mail delivery because their mailbox cannot be delivered to safely.

In the course of reviewing mailboxes, the corporation does not always take the time to talk to rural residents or explore all available options before moving mail delivery to a community box, green box or a post office. Likewise, it does not always consult with union representatives or rural delivery workers who have first-hand knowledge of the safety and delivery problems within a community.

This unilateral approach has lead to frustration and outrage among rural residents and difficulties for rural delivery workers. We believe that Canada Post needs to thoroughly consult and explore all available options with rural residents as well as local union officials who represent rural and suburban mail carriers.

This is why the Canadian Union of Postal Workers is calling for a moratorium relating to rural delivery.

Terms of moratorium relating to rural mail delivery

1. Canada Post should stop taking unilateral decisions regarding rural mail delivery.

2. Canada Post should not be allowed to move rural mail delivery from roadside boxes to other locations until it has thoroughly consulted and explored all available options with rural residents as well as local union officials who represent rural delivery workers and who have first-hand knowledge of the safety and delivery problems within a community.

3. This process should be subject to an exception in cases where a rural and suburban mail carrier has identified unsafe roadside mailboxes. In such cases, Canada Post, the rural resident and local union officials should work out an interim solution. For example, the rural delivery worker could drive up to the rural resident’s door, have a neighbour accept the rural resident’s mail on a temporary basis with permission from the resident and neighbour or, if necessary, temporarily move delivery to a post office.

4. Canada Post should go back and review roadside mailboxes in cases where proper consultation has not occurred and rural residents have lost home delivery.

In some cases, the solution to an unsafe mailbox may be as simple as moving the box to a safe delivery location. Of course, in other cases, it may not be that simple.  There is a chance that it will not be possible for Canada Post to keep delivering to a rural resident’s mailbox if there is no safe way of dealing with problems.  Having said that, there are solutions to many of the delivery problems that rural residents are encountering.

We would like you to consider supporting our call for a moratorium, making a statement to this effect in the House of Commons and asking Minister Lawrence Cannon whether his government is willing to support the moratorium as well. As postal critic for the Liberal Party, your support is vital in ensuring that residents have a say in what happens to their mail delivery and that rural delivery workers have a right to health and safety. Anything you are able to do would be greatly appreciated.

I would also like to use this opportunity to request the Liberal Party’s position on a couple of issues. I am attaching some letters and emails that have been sent over the last year and a half in an attempt to obtain a number of policies and/or positions relating to Canada Post.

As you will see, Liberal Leader Stephane Dion’s letter dated April 17, 2007 answers some of the questions we asked about Canada Post, but is unclear about deregulation.

It has been difficult to figure out the Liberal Party’s position on deregulation and other issues, in part because the party has shifted responsibility for Canada Post a number of times. You are the fourth critic in about two years. We hope that you, as the new critic, will be able to provide us with party positions relating to deregulation and the financial and policy framework that governs Canada Post.

I would very much appreciate a letter in response to our questions on the financial and policy framework. I will phone soon to discuss the possibility of a meeting to discuss deregulation and Bill C-14 .

Thank you in advance for your attention to these matters.

Yours truly,

Deborah Bourque
National President

c.c.       CUPW NEC, REC, National Union Representatives, Regional Union Representatives, Specialists, CUPW locals