Letter to Lawrence Cannon - Critical Date in Quebec City Mail Process Plant Closure

BY PRIORITY COURIER

June 7, 2006

Lawrence Cannon
Place de Ville, Tower C, 29th Floor,
330 Sparks,
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0N5

Dear Mr. Cannon:

Re: June 12th - Critical Date in Quebec City Mail Process Plant Closure

I am writing further to my letters of February 9th, March 22nd and May 23rd to find out whether you intend to honour your party's commitment to oppose and review the decision to close the mail sorting plant in Quebec City. I have summarized your party's position on this issue below:

• In September of 2005, Josée Verner, then Chair of the Quebec Caucus for the Conservative Party of Canada, asked Canada Post to reconsider its decision to close the Quebec City plant.

• In November of 2005, Brian Pallister, then post office critic for the Conservative Party, said “a Conservative Party government would review Canada Post's decision to close the Quebec City sorting centre.” He said “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 of the province.” Pallister even said, "The Conservative Party therefore opposes this decision."

• In April 2006, the Prime Minister said that ministers and members of Parliament in the Quebec region were in the process of reviewing ways to improve the situation with regard to Canada Post's plans to close the mail processing plant in Quebec City.

• On May 2, 2006, you told the House of Commons that a decision about the review of the Quebec City closure is "imminent."

Over a month has passed, and still there is no decision about the review. We hope to hear something from you very soon.

Time is running out. As you know, the plant in Quebec City is in the midst of being closed. Indeed, next week on June 12th, the processing of machineable mail originating in Quebec City and mail from the communities of Beauce Bois - Francs, Basse Côte Nord will be moved to Montreal. This is the most significant phase of the closure. It involves dismantling major parts of the plant and cutting well over 100 positions. CUPW hopes your party will stand by its commitment to oppose and review the plant closure - before it is too late.

You can rest assured that this is an important issue to us and many others, especially Quebecers, and that we are all counting on a positive response from your government.

Yours truly,

Deborah Bourque
National President

c.c.: CUPW National Executive Board
Regional Education & Organization Officers
National Union Representatives
Specialists
All CUPW locals
Stephen Harper, Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
Gilles Duceppe, Leader, Bloc Quebecois
Mario Laframboise, MP
Jack Layton, Leader, New Democratic Party
Paul Dewar, MP
Bill Graham, Interim Leader, Liberal Party
John McKay, MP
All MPs
Moya Greene, Canada Post President
Leslie Schous, President, Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association
Richard Des Lauriers, President, Union of Postal Communications Employees, Public Service Alliance of Canada