Students, Civil Society and Postal Workers Unite to Protest Closure of Post Office Near McGill

OTTAWA, March 30, 2012 /CNW/ - Students and other members of the Montreal community joined the Canadian Union of Postal Workers today to protest the planned closure of a Canada Post retail outlet at 3575 Avenue du Parc.

"This particular post office is a full-service corporate outlet that gives students the services they really need," said Alain Duguay, president of CUPW's Montreal Local at a press conference today. "You can't get those services from the non-unionized workers at the convenience store or the drugstore. It's privatization by stealth and it hurts our communities."

Others attending the press conference echoed Mr. Duguay's concerns, including Jean Proulx from the office of MP Marc Garneau (Westmount-Ville-Marie).

"We oppose the privatisation of Canada Post outlets and the use of non-unionized working people to give basic public services," said Dimitri Roussopoulos, Vice-President of the Institut de politiques alternatives de Montreal (IPAM).

''The public postal service at Place du Parc offering such as one-stop confidential processing of our student loan and grant applications has to stay," said Joel Pedneault, the McGill Student Association's VP of External affairs.

"The closure of the Place du Parc post office is the inevitable consequence of a Conservative government ideology of propping up private enterprise at the expense of public services" said Roger Rashi, IPAM campaign coordinator.

Citizens are asked to contact Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport and Community as well as other politicians and demand that Canada Post keep post office open.

Alain Duguay at 514-207-1490