Politics of the Post
by Deborah Bourque

From the outset the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has been concerned that the recent scandals at Canada Post would be used as an excuse to privatize or deregulate the post office.

Already we're starting to see the re-writing of history and a glimpse of the arguments we'll face in the future.

A recent media article complained about the politicization of Canada Post and harkened back to the Don Lander days when the Mulroney government "let Mr. Lander and others do what needed to be done to turn the enterprise around, including the politically unpopular closing of rural outlets."

As postal workers well know, it was actually the Conservative government of Brian Mulroney that actively imposed a political agenda upon Canada Post.

When the Conservatives took power in 1984 they appointed a fellow Tory, Alan Marchment, to lead a mandate review of Canada Post. Based on his recommendations the Conservatives instructed Canada Post Corporation (CPC) to abandon plans to expand its parcel operations, stop the planned introduction of electronic mail services, and avoid any new services unless there was a three-year payback of capital.

The 1986 Canada Post Corporate Plan contained more bad news. It revealed plans to close or privatize all of the country's 5955 post offices, with the exception of one office in each provincial capital or major urban centre. In November 1986, when testifying before the government Operations Committee, Don Lander was quite clear when he stated "this plan is a government plan, not a post office plan."

The Conservative government was eventually stopped in its tracks by public outrage and an election defeat in 1993, but only after about 1,500 offices had closed.

Unfortunately, the Conservative government also directed the labour relations strategy of CPC. Most people will remember that three postal unions were forced to strike during 1987-88 and the post office unsuccessfully used scabs on each occasion. The involvement of the government, including the active support and leadership provided by several cabinet ministers during these strikes, is a matter of public record.

In addition to being wrong about who was playing politics, the article's author was also wrong to suggest that the contracting out of urban retail outlets was popular. The 1989 Review of Postal Operations, also conducted by Mr. Alan Marchment, found significant service problems resulting from the privatization and closing of postal outlets. Anyone who lived through that time can remember the public protests against post office closures. That is why in 1994 the Liberal party implemented their election promise to stop postal closures.

The good old days?

The media and politicians alike would be wise to avoid too much nostalgia about the "good old days" at Canada Post under Don Lander where confrontation, contracting out, closures and service cutbacks were the order of the day. They weren't good days for postal users and they sure weren't good days for postal workers.

Today, there are those, like Canada Post's competitors, who will use the current scandal to argue for privatization and deregulation of postal service, without regard for the impact on the public or the workers. A confidential memo by Earnscliffe Consulting shows that United Parcel Service (UPS) has been waiting for an opportunity like this to push for deregulation of Canada Post so that they can increase their share of the lucrative postal-courier market.

Canada Post's competitors may even have a friend in Paul Martin. Martin was no supporter of public services when he was finance minister and wrote Liberal policy suggesting that anything that could be privatized should be privatized. Since becoming prime minister he has encouraged more private sector delivery of government services and has even created a parliamentary secretary for public private partnerships. What's more, Treasury Board President Reg Alcock, is in the midst of reviewing all Crown spending and will release a report this September. Let us hope the report meets its intended purpose of openness and accountability and isn't another ploy to push for privatization.

The Conservatives imposed a right wing political agenda on Canada Post. That agenda was contrary to both the letter and the spirit of the Canada Post Corporation Act that calls for improved labour relations and a balance between financial and public service objectives.

Over the years, our post office has gained an international reputation for high quality service at an affordable rate, thanks to the efforts of postal workers.

A return to the Conservative's agenda for our public post office would be a serious setback, even if it were delivered by a Liberal government. We intend to tell the Liberals, Conservatives and anyone who will listen that this agenda should be marked "Returned to Sender."

Deborah Bourque is the National President of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, representing 54,000 postal workers in urban and rural Canada and Quebec.