Posted: Tuesday, 27 April 2010

OTTAWA − The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) adds its voice to growing calls for the federal government and the opposition parties to sever parts of Bill C-9 that have nothing to do with implementing the government’s budget. Bill C-9 includes provisions that would deregulate Canada Post, potentially harming rural postal services.

“By putting everything including the kitchen sink in the budget bill, the Conservative government is trying to get what it knows it can’t achieve in a parliamentary democracy − the deregulation of Canada Post,” said Ken Georgetti, president of the CLC.

Part 15 of the budget implementation bill would partially deregulate the postal service by removing the handling of international letters from Canada Post’s exclusive jurisdiction. By opening up international mailers to competition, Canada Post could lose millions of dollars in annual revenue and inevitably will have to cut services or hike rates.

“Hard to reach communities and rural communities are the most likely to suffer service cuts if Canada Post cuts back to recover lost revenue,” said Georgetti.

Bill C-9 isn’t the first time the federal government has tried to achieve through a budget bill what it knows it cannot achieve in a minority Parliament. In 2009, the budget implementation bill included a host of measures to make it harder for women in the federal public sector to achieve pay equity.

The Canadian Labour Congress, the national voice of the labour movement, represents 3.2 million Canadian workers. The CLC brings together Canada's national and international unions along with the provincial and territorial federations of labour and 130 district labour councils. Web site: www.canadianlabour.ca

Contact: Jeff Atkinson, Communications, 613-526-7425, or 613-863-1413