In his Members' Statement to the House of Commons on Thursday, Red Deer-Lacombe MP Blaine Calkins called on the federal government to restore full postal services in the Town of Bentley.

Following is the text of Mr. Calkins’ statement.

Mr. Speaker,

Today I rise in the House in support of the Town of Bentley that just two weeks ago, was told their retail postal services would be discontinued as of June 1st.  The very next day, parcels stopped coming to this small rural community, forcing residents to drive a minimum of 50 kilometers round trip to retrieve their items.

Mr. Speaker, Canada Post has an obligation to provide a standard of postal service that meets the needs of the people of Canada.  

When seniors who do not drive or live on a fixed income cannot receive their medications or other essentials in the town where they live, their needs are clearly not being met.

When small businesses and farmers are forced to leave their place of work for more than an hour to pick up or drop off parcels, their needs are not being met.

How are the residents of Bentley supposed to heed the Prime Minister’s calls for Canadians to reduce their carbon footprint when they must travel so far just to pick up a package?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Services and Procurement must immediately take strong action to right this wrong and restore full postal services in Bentley.  

Bentley deserves better.