Maintaining Rural Mail Delivery



Moore from Ottawa
By Fundy Royal M.P. Rob Moore
January 08, 2007

Greetings from Ottawa,

The community newspaper is an integral part of many communities and especially vital for the rural communities of New Brunswick. Community papers add vibrancy to a community and they are an important source of information for rural communities where alternatives don’t exist. However in order for these papers to impact their communities it is imperative that they be distributed.

On December 13, 2006 the federal Conservative government took steps to ensure that both community papers and regular mail continue to be delivered in rural areas. The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, announced that the Government of Canada has issued two directives to Canada Post. The first directive requires Canada Post to develop and implement an operational plan to restore and maintain mail delivery to rural roadside mailboxes within the next 18 months. The second directs the corporation to continue funding the Publications Assistance Program for up to two more years

Canada’s new government believes in the importance of providing a reliable mail delivery service in rural communities across Canada. We are confident that Canada Post will restore and maintain rural mail delivery to rural roadside mailboxes while taking into consideration the health and safety of their employees and respecting all existing occupational health and safety laws. The situation will be monitored closely as Canada Post strives to ensure that rural residents are provided with safe, efficient and quality mail services.

The second directive given to Canada Post ensures that its $15 million contribution to the Publications Assistance Program is maintained. The Publications Assistance Program supports almost 1,200 Canadian magazines and non-daily newspapers by funding a portion of their mailing costs for delivery in Canada through Canada Post. By maintaining its contribution, Canada Post is ensuring that Canadians continue to have access to publications that have high levels of Canadian content and which reflect the diversity of Canadian communities.

The postal system, like television and radio, is an important means of distributing Canadian cultural content. Government support for the delivery of magazines and newspapers in Canada goes back to 1849.

Community newspapers have played and will continue to play an important role in the development of New Brunswick communities. These new directives from the Conservative government to Canada Post will help maintain the tradition of rural mail delivery and community newspapers in New Brunswick.

I welcome your feedback on this or any issue at moorer@parl.gc.ca