Seven in Ten (69%) `Oppose' Allowing Private Companies to Deliver Letter Mail in Canada

Ottawa, ON - A new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers has revealed that seven in ten (69%) Canadians oppose `allowing private companies to deliver letter mail in Canada'. What is more, nearly one half (46%) `strongly opposes' this idea, while one quarter (23%) `somewhat opposes' it. Just under three in ten (27%) Canadians `support' (9% strongly/18% somewhat) this proposed plan. Currently, by law, only Canada Post is allowed to deliver letter mail in Canada. A number of private companies have said that they would also like to deliver letter mail in Canada. Canada Post offers letter mail service for the price of a stamp, regardless of the origin or destination of mail within Canada. In the case that private companies were allowed to offer a competing letter mail service in Canada, pricing decisions would be left up to those companies.

Among the 27% who indicate that they are in support of allowing private companies to deliver letter mail in Canada, once informed that allowing private companies to offer a competing letter mail service in Canada would make it impossible for Canada Post to keep its current one-price-goes-anywhere service for the price of a stamp, nearly one half (44%) indicate that they would then change their mind and oppose the plan they initially supported. Still, a majority (56%) of those who initially supported the idea say they wouldn't change their mind based on this information.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers from August 12 to August 14, 2008. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1007 adult Canadians was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population of Canada been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure that the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
416-324-2002
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

About Ipsos
Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world.

Member companies assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media. They measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting. Ipsos has a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999.

In 2007, Ipsos generated global revenues of e927.2 million ($1.27 billion U.S.).

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