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MINISTER PLEASED WITH BROAD INPUT TO THE STRATEGIC REVIEW OF
CANADA POST  - September 2, 2008

OTTAWA — The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and Minister responsible for Canada Post, is pleased that as of today, hundreds of submissions to the Canada Post Strategic Review Advisory Panel have been received from a broad range of individuals and organizations.

Members of the public, industry, unions and key stakeholders have provided their views. This input will be considered along with the work undertaken by the panel in formulating its report.

The purpose of the Canada Post Strategic Review is to make sure Canada Post has the tools and means to continue to fulfill its mandate, which is to provide affordable, universal postal service to Canadians. The Corporation provides Canadians with the tools and the means to communicate and do business with each other and their governments in a timely, accessible and affordable manner.

Because of changes in technology, particularly with e-mail and the Internet, the volume of material previously handled by Canada Post has dropped per capita, and this has created new challenges. The goal of the review is to look at the corporation from a strategic viewpoint and to ensure its long-term financial sustainability. 

“I look forward to receiving the panel’s report in December 2008,” said Minister Cannon. “It would be premature to anticipate any recommendations given the panel is in the midst of its work, however I appreciate the work that has been undertaken in the consultation process.”

The independent advisory panel, comprising Dr. Robert Campbell, Mrs. Nicole Beaudoin and Mr. Daniel H. Bader, is focusing on four major areas: market and competition; public policy objectives and responsibilities; commercial activities; and financial and performance targets.

The panel is being guided by the following four principles:

• 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 will continue to act as an instrument of public policy through the provision of postal services to Canadians; and
• Canada Post will continue to operate in a commercial environment and is expected to attain a realistic rate of return on equity.

Submissions are being published at the Strategic Review website on a regular basis. Canadians are encouraged to provide written submissions to the panel by mail at:

330 Sparks Street (HCCR)
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0N5

Submissions may also be sent by e-mail to info@cpcsr-esscp.gc.ca, or through the following website: www.cpcstrategicreview-examenstrategiquescp.gc.ca by tonight, September 2, 2008 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

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