Protect rural post offices

AI summary

Petitioners in British Columbia ask the Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement to reinstate a moratorium on rural post office closures and to instruct Canada Post to explore strengthening the rural postal network through services such as postal banking, government services, community hubs, and other revenue-generating activities. The petitioners say Canada Post’s rural network is vital for connectivity, small businesses, and as often the only federal presence in remote communities. The petition does not include a government response.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement Whereas: Canada Post's post office network is a vital national infrastructure, enabling rural Canadians to stay connected and countless small businesses to prosper; Canada Post's core public service mandate is to provide high-quality, affordable postal services to every community, regardless of cost; The Canadian Postal Service Charter ensures "the provision of postal services to rural regions of the country is an integral part of Canada Post's universal service"; The post office is often the only physical presence of the federal government in rural and remote communities; Rural post offices do more than deliver mail and parcels: they serve as local gathering spaces and build community; Canada Post's retail network is the largest in the country, and rural post offices could be leveraged to meet unmet community needs, including access to banking, government and other services. We, the undersigned residents of the Province of British Columbia call upon the Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement to: 1. Reinstate the moratorium on the closure of rural post offices; and 2. Instruct Canada Post to explore opportunities to strengthen the rural postal network, through the provision of new services such as postal banking, government services, local community hubs, and other revenue generating services.

Government response

No government response is available yet.