Canada Post: No time for Canadian mags, but lots for U.S. competitors

We find it interesting that Canada Post, which has generally treated the magazine industry as something between a nuisance and a "rounding error", is so cozy with other industry organizations.

For instance IDEAlliance, which is a U.S. organization representing the publishing,information technology and direct mail sector. Canada Post has four staff sitting as members of its Canada Mail committee, rubbing shoulders with the likes of RR Donnelly, Conde Nast, Time, and Publishers Clearing House.

Yet Canada Post refuses to sit on a committee with the Canadian magazine industry. Three years ago it sat down ad hoc with the industry trying to find ways to cut its costs (but not mailing rates). But we asked Mark Jamison, the president of Magazines Canada whether they've agreed to do so since. He said:

"We have proposed that we return to an ongoing committee process since the cost reduction workshops some three years ago, but it does not seem to have met with much enthusiasm."