Chronology of Events - Blog

A special delivery to the Minister responsible for Canada Post
(January 30, 2008 / Your Public Post Office Delivers Campaign / Blog Entries)

On January 29, 2008, postal workers and Bloc Québécois MP Thierry St-Cyr delivered a gigantic post card to the office of Lawrence Cannon, Minister responsible for Canada Post, in an attempt to save a Montreal post office. The post card demanded the Conservative government reverse the decision to close a community post office and reopen another one elsewhere. It was signed by 1,186 residents of Pointe-Saint-Charles who will be affected by the closure. CUPW will continue to fight...

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“Hands off the Oshawa Post Office” Rally
(September 27, 2007 / Your Public Post Office Delivers Campaign / Blog Entries)

Canada Post is facing stiff opposition to its plan to close the Oshawa Post Office. About a hundred people, including local, regional and national CUPW representatives, turned out for a rally to save the Oshawa office, which is slated to close on October 5th. Colin Carrie, Conservative member of Parliament for Oshawa, was also in attendance at the invitation of the Oshawa local. He told CUPW representatives that he would deliver their petitions to the Minister responsible for Canada Post....

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Over 500 municipalities take a stand on public postal service!
(March 9, 2007 / Your Public Post Office Delivers Campaign / Blog Entries)

Over 500 municipalities- more than half from Quebec - want the federal government to ensure that Canada Post acts like a public service, not a commercial enterprise. All these municipalities passed a resolution which asks the government to change the financial and policy framework it uses for Canada Post so that the corporation does not have to provide commercial profits and dividends. The resolution also asks feds to instruct the corporation to use more profits on public postal services, including...

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One thousand municipalities take stand on closures and transparency
(May 3, 2006 / Your Public Post Office Delivers Campaign / Blog Entries)

Over 800 municipalities have passed resolutions opposing the Quebec City plant closure and other closures, which they have forwarded to the minister responsible for Canada Post. In response to our recent request, about 200 municipalities so far have sent letters to the minister demanding information on the corporation’s plans for the postal network and postal service. ...

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Meetings with party leaders
(May 3, 2006 / Your Public Post Office Delivers Campaign / Blog Entries)

CUPW representatives met with Gilles Duceppe, Leader of the Bloc québécois and Jack Layton, Leader of the New Democratic Party on April 19th. Duceppe supported the call for a moratorium on the plant closure in Quebec City pending a debate on Canada Post and Conservative government plans for our public post office. He has discussed the moratorium with the Andrée Boucher, the Mayor of Quebec City, and she has agreed to support it as well. Layton also supported the call for a...

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Meeting with Postal Critics
(May 3, 2006 / Your Public Post Office Delivers Campaign / Blog Entries)

CUPW representatives recently met with Paul Dewar, postal critic for the New Democratic Party, Mario Laframboise, postal critic for the Bloc québécois and Chris White, chief of staff to Liberal postal critic Belinda Stronach. At these meetings, the union requested that party representatives ask Lawrence Cannon, the new Minister Responsible to: 1. Review the decision to close the Quebec City mail sorting plant, as the Conservatives promised. In the fall of 2005, the Conservative...

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Federal Government Stalling on Promise to Review Plant Closure
(May 1, 2006 / Your Public Post Office Delivers Campaign / Blog Entries)

CUPW has not been able to get a meeting with Lawrence Cannon, the Minister Responsible for Canada Post, or obtain any information on the government's position on the Quebec City plant closure. A letter from Minister Cannon's office dated April 12, 2006 said that "due to his busy schedule, he will be unable to meet...in the foreseeable future." As well, national representatives of CUPW have not been able to get a meeting with Josée Verner, the member of Parliament who has the...

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Special membership meeting
(December 4, 2005 / Campaign Against Quebec City Plant Closure / Blog Entries)

National President, Deborah Bourque, attends a special membership meeting for the Québec City Local. ...

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First phase of the planned closure
(December 2, 2005 / Campaign Against Quebec City Plant Closure / Blog Entries)

Canada Post transfers the processing of the final "J" and flats mail from Québec City to Montréal. This is the first phase of the planned closure. Six postal clerk (PO4) person-years will be affected. ...

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Over 300 Municipalities Support Campaign
(November 24, 2005 / Your Public Post Office Delivers Campaign / Blog Entries)

Municipalities from coast to coast stand with CUPW against the closure of post offices and plants. To date, over 300 municipalities across Canada and Québec have adopted resolutions calling for John McCallum, Minister Responsible for Canada Post, to instruct the corporation to: 1) Stop the closure of the mail sorting plant in Québec City and proposed closures in other locations; 2) Consult with the public, postal unions and other major stakeholders to develop a uniform and democratic...

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Third arbitration date
(November 23, 2005 / Your Public Post Office Delivers Campaign / Blog Entries)

The third arbitration date on the Québec City closure national grievance. Place and time to be confirmed. ...

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Solidarity and Cake
(November 22, 2005 / Your Public Post Office Delivers Campaign / Blog Entries)

Members in the New Glasgow local in Nova Scotia spoke to the local area manager to complain about the plant closure in Québec and wore pins. Afterward, the members shared a cake inscribed with "Lean and Mean Moya Greene - Stop the Cuts!" during a lunchroom meeting. ...

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East Coast Solidarity
(November 17, 2005 / Your Public Post Office Delivers Campaign / Blog Entries)

Sisters and brothers from the Moncton local in New Brunswick held a demonstration against the closure of post offices and specifically the plant in Québec City. Participants and facilitators at an Atlantic Regional Leadership Development course also took part in the protest. For some participants, it was their first experience at a demonstration. The grim reaper Moya Greene was there in her black costume and her axe. A media person from a local francophone newspaper covered the event. This...

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Atlantic postal workers in action
(November 17, 2005 / Your Public Post Office Delivers Campaign / Blog Entries)

The Truro local in Nova Scotia held a day of action in protest of the Québec City closure. The local stood in solidarity to say NO to Canada Post and President Moya Greene. Local President Toni MacAfee wrote: "We had great participation from our members. We gathered in the lunchroom for a talk, dressed in our black t-shirts. Members signed a card to send to the Québec City local. As well, we had a draw for two t-shirts, a Québec City t-shirt and a Rosie the Riveter t-shirt....

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National grievance
(November 16, 2005 / Your Public Post Office Delivers Campaign / Blog Entries)

The national grievance on the proposed closure of the Québec City mail processing plant will be heard by arbitrator Guy Dulude in Montréal (Hilton Hotel, Place Bonaventure). ...

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Rycroft takes on Mr. McCallum's absurd statement
(November 15, 2005 / Your Public Post Office Delivers Campaign / Blog Entries)

The municipal council of a small village named Rycroft in Alberta responded to John McCallum, Minister Responsible for Canada Post's, comment that even grannies send birthday cards by e-mail: "Close small rural post offices-what a progressive proposal! Some schools of thought toy with the idea that even little old grannies use e-mail. Can you send a parcel by e-mail, is e-mail secure, what about birthday cards and Christmas cards? (E-cards are just not the same). Although e-mail has its...

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CPC asks for injunction
(November 10, 2005 / Campaign Against Quebec City Plant Closure / Blog Entries)

While Canada Post did not have the "sérénité nécessaire" to consult with the Union, they did have enough "sérénité nécessaire" to consult with their lawyers and apply to the Québec Superior Court for an injunction on November 8. The application was heard on November 10. The judge took into consideration the union's commitment to not picket or demonstrate at Canada Post management's homes throughout the province...

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CPC "disrespectful behaviour" in Quebec
(November 8, 2005 / Campaign Against Quebec City Plant Closure / Blog Entries)

In response to the November 7 demonstration, Canada Post cancelled the November 8 national consultation meeting, which was to discuss the proposed closure of the Québec City Plant. Canada Post said they did not possess the "sérénité nécessaire" to have constructive consultation. CUPW representatives from the National Office and Montréal had traveled to Québec City to discuss the impacts of the closure on both Québec City and Montréal. Canada...

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Plant Closures Affect our Personal Lives
(November 7, 2005 / Campaign Against Quebec City Plant Closure / Blog Entries)

Members of the Québec local held a demonstration outside the residence of a Canada Post director, but were respectful to remain on public property. The director toasted the demonstrators with a glass of wine from his living room. When he noticed the demonstrators leafleting his neighbours, he came out of his house and asked to speak with one of them. Four police cars arrived and essentially told the director that he should get back inside and close the drapes. Despite Canada Post's...

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Tories would Reconsider Decision to Close
(November 3, 2005 / Campaign Against Quebec City Plant Closure / Blog Entries)

Brian Pallister, post office critic for the Conservative Party, informed fellow members of Parliament in the House of Commons that " a Conservative Party government would review Canada Post's decision to close the Quebec City sorting centre." Pallister told the House, "It is unthinkable to us that the Montreal centre alone can provide consistent service quality across the province. The people of eastern Quebec deserve quality postal service, equivalent to that provided in the rest...

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Canada Post Hiring People for Job Cuts and Closures
(October 31, 2005 / Your Public Post Office Delivers Campaign / Blog Entries)

Canada Post is looking to hire the job-killers who will close plants and post offices, privatize retail outlets and "rationalize" these decisions for the national network review. Two job descriptions posted on the corporation's intranet site list the devious responsibilities such as "develops and implements the process which will identify opportunities for retail network rationalization that will result in the opening, closure or conversion of Corporate outlets." All Canada...

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Solid Bloc support
(October 17, 2005 / Campaign Against Quebec City Plant Closure / Blog Entries)

On October 17th Bloc Quebecois members of Parliament (MPs) started presenting some of the 130,000 signatures collected on the petition to stop the Quebec City plant closure. Petitions have been presented by Richard Marceau, Odina Desrochers, Bernard Cleary, Christian Simard, Michel Guimond, Roger Clavet, Guy Côté, and Christiane Gagnon. In addition, Christian Gagnon has been raising problems associated with the Quebec City plant closure in the House of Commons regularly. So far, the...

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Canada Post Profits: Workers Eat Cake
(October 16, 2005 / Campaign Against Quebec City Plant Closure / Blog Entries)

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers protested outside Canada Post headquarters as the corporation celebrated its 24th anniversary with job losses and closures. Postal workers responded to Canada Post's "let them eat cake" attitude by cutting a cake with a special anniversary message: People Before Profits. To see event photos, select link below: [ http://www.cupw-sttp.org/photos/photos_oct16_2005.php ] ...

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CUPW Chastens Minister
(October 6, 2005 / Your Public Post Office Delivers Campaign / Blog Entries)

CUPW has written the Minister Responsible for Canada Post to make sure he knows that volumes at the corporation increased in 2004, even letter volumes. The minister told the House of Commons "physical mail is becoming a thing of the past." He said, "even grandmothers send birthday wishes electronically." Maybe so, but they send presents by mail. ...

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Minister Makes Mistake
(October 3, 2005 / Your Public Post Office Delivers Campaign / Blog Entries)

John McCallum, Minister Responsible for Canada Post, is under the impression that all grandmothers have abandoned the post to become tech-savvy e-mail users. He obviously did not read Canada Post's 2004 Annual Report, where the numbers show that mail volumes have actually increased. The minister's uninformed comment was in response to thousands of petitions protesting the Quebec City plant closure. His exact words follow: "Mr. Speaker, there are two important points to make. One: there are...

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Demonstration to protest the closure of Quebec City's mail processing plant
(October 2, 2005 / Campaign Against Quebec City Plant Closure / Blog Entries)

Yesterday, in Quebec City, more than 800 people took part in a demonstration to protest the closure of the city's sortation plant at 300, Saint-Paul Street. The demonstration was a clear show of solidarity. Many politicians were there, including Christiane Gagnon, Christian Simard and Roger Clavet from the Bloc Québécois. Claude Larose, Marc Bellemare and Michel Bouchard, all mayoral candidates, represented the municipal government. Bloc MP Christiane Gagnon reaffirmed her determination...

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NDP Support Campaign
(September 29, 2005 / Campaign Against Quebec City Plant Closure / Blog Entries)

The NDP issued a press release today in support of our campaign to stop the Quebec City plant closure. Bill Blaikie, NDP postal critic, also denounced the closure of rural post offices, despite a so-called moratorium by the Liberal government. Exerpts of the statement follow: NDP MP Bill Blaikie has denounced Canada Post's decision to close the Quebec City Sorting Station. This decision will lead to the loss of 302 jobs and will take $16 million from the local economy. As postal critic, Blaikie...

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Local Development Centres Support Campaign
(September 23, 2005 / Campaign Against Quebec City Plant Closure / Blog Entries)

The Local Development Centres have written a letter in opposition to the Quebec City plant closures to the Honourable John McCallum, Minister responsible for Canada Post. Excerpts of the letter follow: [Translation] It should be noted that government corporations have an obligation to ensure a regional presence, not only to provide quality postal services but also to contribute to regional economic development. The Quebec City LDC questions the wisdom of such a move by a Crown Corporation. What...

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Press Conference Against Quebec City Closure
(August 15, 2005 / Campaign Against Quebec City Plant Closure / Blog Entries)

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers and the Quebec Federation of Labour held a press conference declaring they would fight the Quebec City mail processing plant closure. Excerpts from the press release follow: "At a press conference today, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and the FTQ (the Quebec Workers' Federation) announced their plan to campaign against Canada Post's decision to eliminate some 300 jobs, or a quarter of its workforce, in Quebec City. CUPW views Canada...

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Union President Writes Moya Greene
(August 10, 2005 / Campaign Against Quebec City Plant Closure / Blog Entries)

CUPW President, Deborah Bourque, wrote Moya Greene a letter denouncing Canada Post's decision to close the Quebec City mail processing plant. Excerpts of the letter follow: "I am writing on behalf of the CUPW National Executive Board to express our complete opposition to Canada Post's plans to close the Quebec City postal plant and our determination that Canada Post must reverse this hasty and unwise decision." "It is incomprehensible that such an important decision, affecting...

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Canada Post Announces Quebec City Closure
(August 3, 2005 / Campaign Against Quebec City Plant Closure / Blog Entries)

Canada Post announced its intention to close the mail processing plant in Quebec City and transfer mail processing to Montreal in a letter and press release. ...

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Christiane Gagnon condemns loss of 300 jobs in Quebec City
(August 3, 2005 / Campaign Against Quebec City Plant Closure / Blog Entries)

Christiane Gagnon, Bloc Quebecois MP for Quebec City, denounced the closure of the Quebec City mail processing plant. Excerpts from her communiqué follow: "The closing of the Quebec City's Mail Processing Plant is a harsh blow to the region and I will certainly look into this matter to ensure the decision is reviewed," states Christian Gagnon, federal MP for Quebec City, following the announcement by Canada Post this morning." "Closing the mail sorting centre in Quebec...

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Notice of National Network Review
(July 14, 2005 / Campaign Against Quebec City Plant Closure / Blog Entries)

Canada Post informed the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) that it would be reviewing the national network, including all mechanized mail processing plants, and that the mail processing plant in Quebec City would be first. The corporation did not mention anything about closing the plant in Quebec City. ...

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