Canadians still want door-to-door mail: poll

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This article was published 24/05/2017 (2528 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canadians remain deeply committed to reinstating door-to-door mail delivery even if it means getting their mail less frequently, according to a new poll from the Angus Reid Institute.

More than half of those polled want to see a return to door-to-door service, according to results released Thursday by the pollster ahead of a federal government decision about the Crown corporation’s fate.

Angus Reid said it means Canadian views on the issue are “essentially unchanged” from initial polls done four years ago.

While 54 per cent are in favour of nixing controversial community mailboxes, 61 per cent would support dropping delivery days from five to just three. However, most Canadians are committed to keeping the Crown corporation public. According to the poll, 63 per cent of those surveyed oppose privatization.

The numbers came as “no real surprise” to Jarrett Schmidt, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers Winnipeg.

“This is pretty much the same as the last report: Canadians continue to value Canada Post, they understand that it’s an essential service they don’t want to privatize. All those things have stayed the same,” Schmidt said.

According to the federal government’s website (Canada.ca), the Trudeau government tabled its response to the standing committee’s report on the Canada Post review on April 12. It is currently considering the committee’s recommendations, as well as all of the evidence gathered throughout the review process.

“The priority is to ensure Canada Post provides Canadians with the quality postal services they deserve,” the website says.

The future direction of the Crown corporation is expected be announced later this year.

Schmidt was clear about what the postal workers’ union wants to see in that decision.

“I think the ideal response would be to restore door-to-door to the areas that lost that service… like they promised,” he said. “I think the government should see that rolling back services or eliminating services is not what Canadians want.

“At the end of the day, the people are what rule the government… the people are the ones that express how they feel about what the government gives in services. Clearly, (the Angus Reid poll) shows that its consistent that they constantly feel that Canada Post is an essential service and it’s valuable to the everyday Canadian.”

For its Canada Post poll, Angus Reid surveyed a randomized group of more than 1,500 adults online over a period of three days in early April. The results are considered accurate 19 times out of 20.

scott.emmerson@freepress.mb.ca