OTTAWA – Several years ago, Canada Post declared that the image of the rural post office as the social hub of small-town Canada was historic, romantic claptrap.
The rural post office, then-Tory minister Harvie Andre told the House of Commons, was a business and in many cases, a money-losing business.
Many would be closed if they could not pay their way.
Now, the post office has a new version of the future for rural post offices.
“One day, in the age of the information highway, the post office in a small community will become the information centre for provincial and federal government services, or for local communities,” Canada Post president Georges Clermont told MPs recently.
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“It’s very easy to imagine that we’ll have an electronic bulletin board instead of a physical one.”
This rural post office with bells and whistles could offer information about government programs, and perhaps electronic banking services if the local bank branch is closing, he told MPs on a House committee studying post office budgets.
Some of them were clearly skeptical about the potential for this wired future.
“If technology doesn’t reach…” Northwest Ontario Liberal MP Reg Belair started to say.
“It will one day,” said Clermont.
“It won’t if it’s too expensive,” the MP shot back.
“It’s always a matter of money,” agreed the post office executive. “We just can’t afford to go ahead right now.”
With his more positive vision of rural post offices, Clermont was reflecting the ideology and policy of the Liberals, who declared a halt to rural post office closings after they took office in November 1993.
When he appeared on Parliament Hill to defend the Canada Post record, Clermont was grilled about rural post offices by both Liberal and Bloc QuŽbecois MPs.
Paul Crete, a rural BQ member, wanted to know if the post offices saved from closure are being restored as community centres.
“We are working with some federal departments and provincial departments and agencies to ensure that local post offices can be used as entry points for one-stop shopping, where you could, for example, apply for a driving licence, unemployment insurance or a passport,” said Clermont. “This could be done immediately, electronically.”
Liberal MP Belair asked him to consider asking the government for a special budget allocation to get some of those potential electronic town halls opened again.
Clermont said he would consider the idea.
