Bill S-244 explained in plain English
An Act to amend the Canada Post Corporation Act (rural postal services)
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. MP vote breakdowns appear when the House of Commons publishes a recorded division export for that bill. Senate and House stage details include official debate/sitting links when LEGISinfo publishes them.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
Bill S-244 would amend the Canada Post Corporation Act to restore rural roadside mail delivery to its September 1, 2005 level, require notice and consultation before changing rural postal services, and establish a Canada Post Ombudsman.
Bill S-244 proposes three main changes to how Canada Post operates: 1. **Restore Rural Mail Delivery**: Canada Post would be required to deliver mail to all rural roadside mailboxes that were in service on September 1, 2005, unless residents agree otherwise. 2. **Notice and Consultation for Service Changes**: Before making any changes to postal services or delivery methods in rural Canada, Canada Post must: - Give residents at least 6 months' notice before the change takes effect - Consult with affected residents at least 4 months before the change, explaining the reasons and exploring alternatives to address concerns 3. **Create a Canada Post Ombudsman**: A new independent office would be established to: - Investigate complaints from people who believe they have been treated unfairly, unreasonably, or with unreasonable delay by Canada Post - Review Canada Post's policies and practices for fairness and reasonableness - Make reports on unresolved cases to the Minister - Recommend policy changes to Canada Post - Report annually to Parliament **The Ombudsman Position**: - Would be appointed by the Governor in Council based on nominations from a parliamentary committee - Would serve a 5-year term and can serve no more than 2 terms - Can investigate complaints and request information from Canada Post - Must keep complainant information confidential - Cannot identify complainants in reports to Parliament - Can hire staff to conduct investigations - Is part of the federal public administration **Offences and Penalties**: Anyone who knowingly provides false information to the Ombudsman, or refuses to provide requested information, can be fined up to $1,000 for a first offence and up to $5,000 or imprisoned for up to 6 months for subsequent offences. **Review**: The Minister must review the law's provisions and administration every 5 years and report to Parliament. The bill would come into force on a date set by the Governor in Council, but only after Parliament appropriates funding for it.
- Requires Canada Post to restore mail delivery to all rural roadside mailboxes that were in service on September 1, 2005, unless residents agree otherwise
- Requires Canada Post to give residents at least 6 months' notice before changing postal services or delivery methods in rural Canada
- Requires Canada Post to consult with affected rural residents at least 4 months before a service change, explaining reasons and exploring alternative solutions
- Establishes a new Office of Canada Post Ombudsman to investigate complaints about unfair, unreasonable, or delayed treatment by Canada Post
- Gives the Ombudsman authority to investigate complaints, request information from Canada Post, and recommend policy changes
- Requires Canada Post to make reports to the Ombudsman about policy changes within 90 days of receiving notice of required changes
- Requires the Ombudsman to submit annual reports to Parliament by April 1 each year
- Requires Canada Post to post notices at all public-facing locations describing the Ombudsman's services and how to contact the office
- Establishes penalties for knowingly providing false information to the Ombudsman or refusing to provide requested information
- Requires the Minister to review the Act's provisions and administration every 5 years and report to Parliament
- Rural residents who receive mail delivery to roadside mailboxes
- People who use Canada Post services and believe they have been treated unfairly or unreasonably
- Canada Post Corporation (required to restore delivery, provide notice, consult, and respond to Ombudsman)
- The Minister responsible for Canada Post (receives Ombudsman reports and must conduct 5-year reviews)
- Standing Committee of the House of Commons on postal services (receives Ombudsman reports and nominates candidates for the Ombudsman position)
- Parliament (receives annual Ombudsman reports and reports on 5-year reviews)
- Canada Post must deliver mail to all rural roadside mailboxes that were in service on September 1, 2005, unless residents agree otherwise
- Canada Post must give affected rural residents at least 6 months' notice before changing postal services or delivery methods
- Canada Post must consult with affected residents at least 4 months before implementing service changes
- Any person can file a complaint with the Ombudsman if they believe Canada Post treated them unfairly, unreasonably, or with unreasonable delay
- The Ombudsman has the right to request information from Canada Post, which must provide it
- Canada Post must respond to the Ombudsman's notice of required policy changes within 90 days
- Canada Post must post notices at all public locations describing the Ombudsman's services
- The Ombudsman can investigate complaints and make recommendations to Canada Post
- The Ombudsman can report to Parliament on cases where Canada Post has not resolved complaints or made policy changes as requested
- September 1, 2005: The reference date for determining which rural roadside mailboxes must have delivery restored
- 6 months before a service change: Deadline for Canada Post to notify affected rural residents
- 4 months before a service change: Deadline for Canada Post to consult with affected rural residents
- 90 days after Ombudsman notice: Deadline for Canada Post to advise the Ombudsman of policy changes
- April 1 each year: Deadline for Ombudsman to submit annual report to the Minister
- 5 years after commencement: First review of the Act required; subsequent reviews every 5 years thereafter
- Date to be fixed by Governor in Council: The Act comes into force on this date (subject to Parliament appropriating funds)
- The Act cannot come into force until Parliament appropriates funding for its implementation
- Any person (including complainants, Canada Post members, or others) who knowingly provides false information to the Ombudsman is guilty of an offence
- Any person who refuses or fails to provide information requested by the Ombudsman under the Act is guilty of an offence
- On summary conviction for a first offence: fine not exceeding $1,000
- On summary conviction for a second or subsequent offence: fine not exceeding $5,000 and/or imprisonment for not more than 6 months
- The bill does not specify what constitutes 'unfair' or 'unreasonable' treatment, leaving interpretation to the Ombudsman
- The bill does not define what options the Ombudsman should explore during consultation, or how concerns should be addressed
- The bill does not specify the Ombudsman's budget or staffing level
- The bill does not state the salary range for the Ombudsman position
- The bill does not specify which Standing Committee will nominate candidates for the Ombudsman position
- The bill does not detail the process for challenging the Ombudsman's investigations or recommendations
- The bill does not specify what happens if Canada Post does not make changes recommended by the Ombudsman within a certain timeframe, beyond requiring a report to Parliament
- The bill states the Act comes into force on a date 'to be fixed by order of the Governor in Council' - the specific date is unknown
- The bill does not specify penalties for Canada Post's failure to comply with notice and consultation requirements
New sections 5.1 and 5.2 added to require restoration of rural mailbox delivery and consultation before service changes. New Part 1.1 (sections 13.1 to 13.9) added to establish the Canada Post Ombudsman office and its powers. Section 19(1)(p) modified to require notice and consultation before closing post offices or terminating rural routes.
Source: Sections 1, 2, and 3 of the Bill
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
Official textParliamentary Process
We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
During a Senate sitting on December 9, 2009, Bill S-244 concerning rural postal services was introduced at its first reading, alongside tributes to Senator Grafstein and discussions on other legislative matters.
This artifact is a record of the Senate sitting on December 9, 2009. The primary procedural event related to Bill S-244 was its first reading, where it was introduced and presented to the Senate. The rest of the sitting was largely occupied with tributes to Senator Jerahmiel S. Grafstein, who was retiring, and discussions on other government bills and committee reports, including a point of order regarding amendments to Bill C-51 and debates on Bill S-8 (tax conventions) and Supplementary Estimates (B). Additionally, a notice of motion was given to urge the government to create a Rural Canadian Postal Service Charter.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Consideration in committee yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
Debate and sitting links point to official parliamentary sources when LEGISinfo publishes them. Any plain-language discussion summaries should be generated from those official texts and reviewed before public display.
Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced