Preface

On April 21, 2008, the Minister responsible for Canada Post announced the initiation of a strategic review of Canada Post and the creation of an independent Advisory Panel to conduct this review on his behalf.

Dr. Robert Campbell, President and Vice-Chancellor of Mount Allison University, was named to chair the Advisory Panel . He is an international postal expert who has studied postal systems in Canada and around the world. Dr. Campbell is currently completing a study on the Universal Post Union.

Dr. Campbell was joined on the Advisory Panel by Mrs. Nicole Beaudoin, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Québec Business Women’s Network Inc. and of the Women Entrepreneurial Center of Québec, and Mr. Dan Bader, a professional engineer who has had a distinguished career with the Government of Alberta, serving as Deputy Minister in the areas of infrastructure, information management, science and technology, and municipal affairs. The Panel members’ biographies can be found in Appendix A.

The Advisory Panel was composed and assembled to ensure a balanced team, with complementary skill sets and experiences, in order that they could successfully pursue the task assigned to them. A small supporting secretariat, made up of public servants with a range of skill sets and experiences, provided support to the Panel in administration, communications, research, planning and liaison. The Advisory Panel was asked by the Minister responsible for Canada Post Corporation to submit a report by December 2008.

The strategic review process unfolded with Canadians very much first in mind, given that it is Canadians who ‘own’ Canada Post. To this end, the Advisory Panel was asked by the Minister to consult with major stakeholders inside and outside government and to invite written submissions from the Canadian public. The Advisory Panel made every effort to encourage Canadian individuals and groups to engage in the strategic review process, and they responded in great numbers and with great interest.

A website (www.cpcstrategicreview.gc.ca) was launched on the day the review was announced, in order to facilitate information-sharing and to gather input and comment from Canadians. The website information includes the Terms of Reference, the Advisory Panel members’ biographies, a consultation guidance document, submissions from Canadians and a list of the Panel’s consultation meetings and submissions.

Canadians were invited to make submissions to the Advisory Panel by September  2, 2008. A wide range of interested parties was asked to submit their views, either by e-mail, facsimile or telephone. The Minister responsible for Canada Post wrote to all Members of Parliament, providing them with information on the strategic review. The Advisory Panel wrote to the caucus chair of each political party, inviting them to share this information with caucus members and their constituents. The Panel also wrote to over 350 other stakeholders seeking their input. Copies of all the submissions received by the Advisory Panel were posted on the website on an ongoing basis, once permission had been granted by the person or group who had made the submission.

At first glance, the Terms of Reference (Appendix B) for the strategic review could be considered to be quite broad. However, the Minister established several guiding principles that have shaped and focused the strategic review, and which enabled the Advisory Panel to move decisively and to quickly zero in on key strategic areas of inquiry. These guiding principles were as follows:

• Canada Post will not be privatized and will remain a Crown corporation;
• Canada Post must maintain a universal, effective and economically viable postal service;
• Canada Post is to continue to act as an instrument of public policy through the provision of postal services to Canadians; and
• Canada Post is to continue to operate in a commercial environment and is expected to attain a reasonable rate of return on equity.

Over and above the input provided by Canadians through the strategic review’s website, the Advisory Panel undertook an extensive and ambitious consultation schedule over the first six months of the review.

Given that Canada Post was the focus of its strategic review, the Advisory Panel held numerous sessions with the senior leadership and administration of Canada Post, meeting with senior executives from across all its major business lines and portfolios. The Advisory Panel also had discussions with a number of past and present members of the Board of Directors. Canada Post was generously cooperative with the Advisory Panel as it sought to understand the context, challenges and changes confronting Canada Post and the postal world.

The Advisory Panel also held over 70 consultation meetings with a variety of stakeholders both inside and outside government. The former included government departments and agencies with programs that intersect with Canada Post’s operations. The latter included postal customers, competitors and various associations and interest groups that interact or do business with Canada Post. The Advisory Panel also had individual meetings with each of Canada Post’s union groups. A list of all of the Panel’s consultations can be found under Appendix C.

One indication of the success of the Advisory Panel ’s consultation efforts can be seen in the number and in the quality of the submissions received. In total, the Panel received 1437 submissions from the general public and various stakeholders. These are listed in Appendix D. In addition, over 23 500 postcards and documents were received from members of the public from across the country as a result of a campaign by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), Canada Post’s largest union.

The following table provides a breakdown by type:

Table 1: Summary of submissions received

The Advisory Panel also commissioned a number of research studies in areas where it felt that it needed in-depth, professional, independent or expert analysis. These areas included public policy and universal service obligations, as well as financial analysis. These studies were commissioned to complement the information received from consultations and submissions, and to ensure that all critical areas of the strategic review were addressed and covered by the Advisory Panel .

The Advisory Panel ’s work proceeded in three stages

First, it took a number of months to carefully listen to and learn from individual Canadians, businesses, unions and interest groups; from government departments and agencies; from postal and industry experts; from Canada Post and from posts around the world; and from stakeholders and interested parties. This inquiry-based approach allowed the Panel to establish its independence and its own capacity, and to remain open to, and able to reflect on, without prejudice, the opinions and facts being presented.

Second, the Panel took a number of weeks following the consultation period to review, analyze and digest the information that it had gathered from its consultations, submissions and research, and to reflect on and discuss this input in order to reach its own consensus about the areas it was being asked to investigate.

Then the Panel took time to formulate its recommendations and to write its report.

This work has culminated in 60 recommendations. These are being submitted to the Minister responsible for Canada Post for the government’s consideration. The report is structured around these recommendations and the Terms of Reference. A summary list of all of the Advisory Panel ’s recommendations can be found in Appendix E.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the individuals and organizations who took the time to make submissions to, or to meet with, the Advisory Panel . We would also like to thank Canada Post for its cooperation and patience. And the Panel would like to thank the strategic review Secretariat staff for their tireless work and support.

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