AGAR: Carney Liberals lose sight of decency with potential Canada Post cut

Would you like a job kicking orphans?

How about taking charge of the committee to ensure Santa doesn’t lift off this year?

If either of those appeal to you, Mark Carney’s Liberal government might be hiring.

Good for the government if they are looking for cost-cutting measures, but apparently one program being considered is Canada Post’s Literature for the Blind. Canada Post describes it as supporting “people who are visually impaired by allowing certain materials to be mailed free of charge.”

Services include “documents printed in braille or a similar raised format, plates for printing braille or similar raised text, sound recordings, such as CDs, and sound recordings and special paper if mailed by or addressed to a recognized institution for the blind.”

Independence of visually impaired Canadians at risk

CTV News reported that the “federal Liberals’ budget bill currently making its way through Parliament contains a small amendment to Canada Post’s legislation that could spell the end of a critical service providing accessible reading material for people who are blind.”

Canada Post lost nearly $1 billion in the first three quarters of 2025. Radical action is needed, no doubt. Give Carney credit for realizing something must be done. It’s a step up from Justin Trudeau waiting for the economy to fix itself.

But leaving the blind in the dark?

The cost of accessible materials is already higher due to specialized production. This change would threaten the independence of visually impaired Canadians, forcing them to rely more heavily on others for information and support. All this would be done to address what surely is a drop in the bucket of what Canada Post loses financially.

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Bigger changes needed at Canada Post

More radical change is needed. Fewer people rely on Canada Post in the digital age, so it is past time to stop daily service for home deliveries.

There are businesses that still rely on the service, but fewer of those each time there is a strike or even a threat of a strike. Businesspeople are resourceful and find other ways to serve their customers. Many of them never go back.

But do you honestly need daily delivery at home?

What reason is there for more than two days a week? I would opt for one, perhaps the day before my recycling is picked up so I can get the flyers back out the door. It still gives me time to clip a coupon.

Do you really need daily mail delivery?

Some people are already on board. When I have talked about this issue on my Newstalk 1010 radio show in Toronto, I’ve had listeners say that they have a community mailbox on their street and they check it about once a week.

I would rather pay an additional charge — if needed — for overnight delivery of a package if I need that immediately rather than pay through my taxes for the rising cost of propping up a dying service.

The government has loaned Canada Post more than $1 billion. What are the chances that we will get that money back? My bet is on fair treatment from Stellantis before that happens.

How does an entity losing $1 billion a year pay back $1 billion?

Maintaining free postage is a small but powerful way to ensure blind Canadians participate fully in society with dignity and independence.

Slash the size of the service. Don’t kick the blind.