Today, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, announced the government’s vision for renewal at Canada Post, putting service to Canadians front and centre. In support of the new vision, the government outlined new measures and provided guidance for the renewal of Canada Post.

“Service to Canadians must be at the heart of Canada Post’s work. Our government is laying the foundation for the long-term renewal of Canada Post so that it can continue to connect Canadians from coast to coast to coast. This foundation for renewal will be critical in building Canada Post into an innovative organization that can quickly adapt and respond to new technologies and the shifting expectations of Canadians in a sustainable way.”

The Honourable Carla Qualtrough
Minister of Public Services and Procurement

“It’s an honour to be chosen to lead the renewal of a treasured Canadian institution. The first priority for our leadership team will be to focus on a collaborative and positive relationship with Canada Post’s employees and the unions that represent them. They have a key role in creating the innovative culture and flexibility needed to ensure the Corporation continues to deliver high-quality affordable services that meet the evolving needs of Canadians.”

Jessica L. McDonald
Chair, Board of Directors, Canada Post 

• This renewed direction takes into consideration the evidence and perspectives gathered during the comprehensive review launched in May 2016, including the work of the independent Task Force, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, and input received from Canadians.

• The government carried out a two-phased evidence-based review of Canada Post in which Canadians across the country were provided with a range of opportunities to share their views, needs and expectations about postal services.

• Canadians participated through written correspondence, emails, social media, online surveys, public hearings and town halls. In addition, public opinion research conducted for the Canada Post Review concluded that the vast majority of Canadians value Canada Post as a public institution and are highly satisfied with the services they receive. Of Canadians surveyed, 94% say the ability to send and receive mail is highly important to them. As well, 91% of Canadians and 83% of businesses surveyed are satisfied with the services Canada Post delivers.

• Canada Post and its close to 64,000 employees have been working hard to adapt to a rapidly changing business environment. This includes providing customers with more flexible delivery options and improving operational processes.

• In 2016, Canada Post delivered 8.4 billion pieces of mail to 16 million addresses across Canada. This included delivering 2 out of every 3 parcels ordered by Canadians online. During the 2017 holiday season, Canada Post experienced the highest volume in parcel deliveries in recent history

Related Products

• Backgrounder – New vision for Canada Post centred on service to Canadians
• Backgrounder – Canada Post Review
• Letter from the Minister to the Chair of Canada Post’s Board of Directors

Associated Links

• Canada Post Review
• Canada Post in the Digital Age
• The Way Forward for Canada Post
• Government’s Response to the Report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
• Public Opinion Research: Canada Post Review

Ashley Michnowski
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Carla Qualtrough
819-997-5421
ashley.michnowski@canada.ca

Media Relations
Public Services and Procurement Canada
819-420-5501
media@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca

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Backgrounder

New vision for Canada Post centred on service to Canadians

The Government of Canada announced a vision for renewal at Canada Post, putting services to Canadians at the heart of its operations. In support of the new vision, the government outlined concrete actions and provided guidance for implementation of the renewal.

A renewed Canada Post will provide high-quality service at a reasonable price to Canadians, no matter where they live. The Corporation’s leadership and its employees will work in partnership to adapt, meet challenges and take advantage of opportunities created by, among other things, new technologies and the evolving expectations of its customers and the communities it serves. As a valued public enterprise that will serve our country for decades to come, Canada Post must be efficient and financially sustainable for the long term, generating revenues that support current and future services, and enable ongoing innovations.

Immediate and concrete actions to set a new foundation for renewal:

Terminating Canada Post’s program of converting door-to-door delivery to community mailboxes, effective immediately: Households receiving door-to-door delivery will continue to receive it. Canada Post is expected to continue installing community mailboxes in new subdivisions.

Enhancing the accessible delivery program: The government is asking Canada Post to establish a national advisory panel of experts and advocates for seniors and people with disabilities. They will advise Canada Post on the development, implementation and promotion of an enhanced accessible delivery program to make it easier for those with the most difficulty with community mailboxes, particularly seniors and others with reduced mobility. This will result in better service for tens of thousands of Canadians.

Reinvesting profits in Canada Post’s services and innovations: The government is reclassifying Canada Post under the Financial Administration Act so it can reinvest all of its profits in service and innovation. The Corporation will still need to be financially self-sustainable and remain efficient, innovative and responsive to its customers.

Promoting Canada Post’s remittance services: Canada Post already plays an important role in providing affordable remittance services to Canadians through its vast network of post offices across the country that offer postal money orders and digital remittances in partnership with MoneyGram. Consistent with the government’s commitment to make remittances more affordable, Canada Post is being asked to increase its market share in this area by better promoting these services to Canadians who send money overseas to support family members.

Renewing Canada Post’s leadership: New leadership is key to Canada Post’s success. The government appointed a new Chair who will carry out the government’s new vision for Canada Post and build more collaborative relationships with communities, employees, labour and other stakeholders. The appointment is an important part of a wider change in leadership at Canada Post. An open, transparent and merit-based selection process will be launched shortly to identify a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), with the goal of appointing a new CEO in the coming months, and the government has launched processes for appointments to the Board of Directors. This new leadership will reflect greater diversity and broader perspectives, including labour. New leadership will oversee the implementation of the new vision and provide leadership to the Corporation as it:

• considers whether trends and innovations in the delivery of postal services in other countries are applicable in Canada
• examines options for innovative parcel delivery models, such as parcel lockers and weekend delivery
• explores partnership opportunities within the federal government, as well as other jurisdictions and communities, to leverage Canada Post’s unique retail network to enhance access to government services, especially in rural and remote areas

In addition to these measures, Canada Post will continue to engage with communities and key stakeholders about other important customer service priorities and expectations.

Canada Post Review

The new vision draws from the findings of the Canada Post Review, initiated in May 2016, when the government undertook a comprehensive two-phased evidence-based review of Canada Post.

Phase 1

During phase 1 of the review, more than 22,000 Canadians, individuals, unions, businesses, municipalities and associations submitted views to the Task Force through written correspondence, emails and social media. From early May to the end of July, close to 11,000 responses were received from Canadians to a weekly question on postal services.

In addition, public opinion research was conducted with roughly 2,200 Canadians, 400 Indigenous people and 1,200 businesses. More than 40 face-to-face meetings were held with stakeholders, including Canada Post, its unions, industry clients and competitors, municipalities, associations, academics and other postal experts.

Based on this extensive engagement with Canadians and stakeholders, public opinion research and evidence gathered during the review, an independent four-member Task Force prepared the discussion paper called Canada Post in the Digital Age.

Phase 2

The Task Force’s discussion paper served as a starting point for national public consultations carried out in the second phase [link to web page] of the review by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates.

During this phase, Canadians had the opportunity to share their postal views and needs through an online survey and public hearings held across Canada. More than 200 witnesses met with the Committee at 27 public hearings held in 22 communities across the country, and over 5,000 individuals and 195 businesses responded to the Committee’s online survey.

The Committee’s report, The Way Forward for Canada Post, emphasized the importance of sustaining the operations of Canada Post as a core service for Canadians. Consistent with the Task Force, the Committee concluded that Canada Post must make significant changes to deliver on its mandate and provide quality services to Canadians at a reasonable price and on a self-sustaining financial basis.