Mr. Brian Jean (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, CPC):

    Mr. Speaker, first, my comment is for my friend, the member for British Columbia Southern Interior. I would like to find out more information about the community of Beaverdell. My brother lived in that community and I visited it many times. My father helped build the mountain road back in the fifties and sixties. I would be happy to help in any way I can. It is an absolutely gorgeous community, and I congratulate him for having it in his riding.
 
    On behalf of the government, I would like to give some good news to the member opposite, who put forward the motion. I take the opportunity now to tell Parliament that the government will be supporting the spirit and intention of the motion. Congratulations.
 
    I can assure the member that, as the member of Parliament for Fort McMurray—Athabasca, a rural area in northeastern Alberta, I am very aware of the concerns of rural Canada. I also am very aware of the importance of a reliable postal service, as are all members on this side of the House. I am very proud to be a member of a government that will support rural Canadians.
 
    I want all members of the House to understand that the government recognizes the important role that the post office plays in communities across Canada. Thus, in addition to supporting a quality rural mail service, we are also fully committed to maintaining the moratorium on rural post office closures. It is great news again from the government.
 
    Of course there are unavoidable situations such as fires or deaths, where something happens that cannot be avoided and where the operation of a rural post office in a small community can be affected. In such cases, Canada Post always consults locally with these communities to explore any option that is possible and available to meet the obligations and needs for ongoing postal needs for that community.
 
    It is important to note that many of the concerns regarding disruption of rural mail delivery services are reported to be of a safety and ergonomic nature, as my friend across the floor brought forward.
 
    However, today's motion focuses directly on rural mail delivery. I think it would be helpful for members to know why the motion was presented and why the Conservative government supports the spirit and intention of the motion.
 
    Some members may be aware that there have been recent health and safety concerns expressed by postal employees delivering mail to roadside mail boxes in rural areas. Canada Post has in fact briefed members who want information on their areas. It has been very cooperative in providing briefings to members regarding those ridings that have been affected.
 
    The member for Oak Ridges—Markham as well as the member for York—Simcoe, a member from this side of the House, are very aware of the situation because they have safety concerns relating to the Newmarket area ridings. For those members who have not yet been briefed on the issues that impact rural mail carriers, I am here today to provide some background information, which I hope will be helpful for them.
 
    First, Canada Post delivers some 40 million pieces of mail per day to more than 12 million addresses, and it does so in a number of different ways. We are all familiar with the resident's door and delivery of mail that way. We are also familiar with the community mailboxes that have become commonplace in Canada. Finally, there is the mail delivery at local post offices.
 
    Rural mail carriers deliver to approximately 843,000 addresses through roadside rural mailboxes, usually located at the end of people's driveways. Canada Post employees have not always performed this work. Prior to 2004, this work was done by private contractors.
 
    An hon. member: What happened to them?
 
    Mr. Brian Jean: What happened was a private member's bill came forward and the government acted. The bill sought for the independent contractors to become postal employees. Indeed, Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, signed an agreement, resulting in more than 6,000 contractors becoming employees of Canada Post in January 2004.
 
    The law rightfully places obligations as well on all employers across Canada to ensure that they have safe working conditions for employees. Under the Canada Labour Code, which the House passed, there are certain obligations on employers. Employers now even have further legal responsibilities to ensure that the health and safety of employees is protected.
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    Indeed, the House recently amended the Criminal Code, following the Westray Mine disaster, to impose a new duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent employees from suffering harm at work.
 
     What could be more important than keeping Canadians safe in the job or at home?
 
    In the past six months, more than a few hundred rural mail carriers have raised health and safety concerns. Some have even exercised their legal right to refuse to work under the Canada Labour Code. These employees have raised two areas of concerns.
 
     The first, as has been mentioned, is ergonomic health, a complaint arising from the repetitive motion of stretching to deliver rural mail across a left-hand drive vehicle into a post box.
 
     The second is related to road safety. This concern is especially prevalent in rural communities or on rural roads. These include, for example, high volumes of traffic and the increase in volume of traffic on rural roads. Sometimes these roads are not wide enough to allow a vehicle to pull off to the side to deliver the mail without having to worry about what's coming behind them. In some cases there are insufficient sight distances. For instance, roadways and hills cause a visual disturbance to somebody coming along behind them. Thus, they are unable to react quickly enough or to stop to avoid some form of accident.
 
    We are talking about the safety of employees and the safety of residents in rural Canada.
 
    Human Resources and Social Development health and safety officers have been called in to investigate a number of the work refusals. They have determined, in some cases, that the workplace conditions do constitute a situation that must be immediately corrected: safety concerns. The government is committed to the safety of Canadians.
 
    Canada Post is committed to protecting the safety of all its employees. The corporation immediately upon receiving these decisions implemented a series of measures to mitigate these concerns.
 
    There are a limited number of safe alternatives to roadside mailboxes, and Canada Post understands this. This may include delivery to a central point, such as a local post office or a community mailbox. Millions of Canadians, including rural Canadians, already receive their mail this way and have for some period of time.
 
    Where Canada Post has received a Human Resources and Social Development decision or direction relating to road safety or where delivery is clearly unsafe, quick action has been required and quick action has been taken. In these cases, customers have immediately been moved to alternative forms of delivery.
 
    In each case Canada Post is working closely with the community because the community is what drives Canada Post, and it understands that. It is working closely with the community to ensure that convenient delivery is maintained through locations where both employees and public safety is protected, the very thing to which the member's motion speaks.
 
     At the same time, Canada Post has engaged various experts, including traffic safety experts at the National Research Council, to evaluate and advise Canada Post on the working conditions of rural mail carriers. The findings of these experts will provide guidance moving forward as to how Canada Post can comply with the legal requirements and its obligations to its employees.
 
    Some of the more practical solutions Canada Post has already moved on are flashing yellow lights to ensure these vehicles are visible from behind and reflective signs. They have already been passed out and delivered to all 6,000 rural route drivers.
 
    Just as the government takes seriously the safety and the ergonomic concerns raised by Canada Post employees, we are insisting that Canada Post maintain a rural mail service. The government recognizes that issues have arisen with respect to rural mail delivery and are in part due to labour issues, but also are in part due to safety issues.
 
    The Prime Minister and the minister responsible for Canada Post have recently met with senior officials of Canada Post. As a consequence, Canada Post has reiterated its commitment to taking steps to ensure quality rural mail delivery.
 
    The government is supporting the spirit and intention of the motion.