The library community in Newfoundland and Labrador is worried legislation before the House of Commons would give Canada Post the ability to increase mailing costs for library materials across the province.
They’re also concerned the Mark Carney government’s proposed changes—outlined in the Liberals’ recent budget bill—will remove Canada Post’s requirement to provide free postage for materials for persons with visual disabilities.
Bill C-15, which passed its second reading in Ottawa last Wednesday, would implement parts of Carney’s controversial federal budget.
Tucked into the 634-page document are amendments to the Canada Post Corporation Act, including a provision which allows public libraries to benefit from what’s called the “Library Book Rate” — a postage discount for libraries.
Josh Smee, vice-chair of the St. John’s Public Libraries Board, says the legislative change came as a surprise. “There was no consultation or notice before this,” he says. “It was just caught by some eagle-eyed observers looking at the actual budget legislation, and they realized that the section was being repealed.”
Libraries are a critical part of the province’s social fabric, says Smee. “We have this amazing library system. We have branches all over the province in communities of every size [that] provide a free public space, which is incredibly rare.”
Newfoundland and Labrador Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development Paul Dinn said the provincial government would be “very disappointed” by any federal government action that would negatively impact provincial libraries, but that the province has been reassured.
“We have received confirmation from the federal government that Canada Post will maintain free mailing of materials for the blind, as well as the current reduced rate of postage for library materials through the Library Book Rate,” Dinn told The Independent.
Canada Post would not need approval to raise postage rates
St. John’s researcher and activist David Brake says even if Canada Post keeps the Library Book Rate in place in the short term, the crown corporation’s ability to change its mind at any time is a worry public libraries would have to live with going forward.
Smee says Newfoundlanders and Labradorians should be contacting their MPs and calling on Parliament not to amend the Canada Post Corporations Act.
Currently, to make any changes to the book rate, Canada Post has to seek approval from the federal government. If Bill C-15 receives royal assent, the crown corporation will no longer need that approval.
This is especially important for Newfoundland and Labrador, where a majority of the province’s 94 public libraries are in rural areas, and where nearly half the province’s residents are library cardholders. In 2024, NL Public Libraries says it sent nearly 214,000 books to residents across the province.
With the final decision expected early in the new year, Brake says there isn’t much time; he says the federal legislation should be “a wake-up call” for those who care about and benefit from public libraries. “They continue to be underfunded, and there is a threat to them now.”
The Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries Board said in a statement that the removal of federal oversight could “leave the door open for Canada Post to change the [Library Book Rate] in a way that could negatively impact how we carry out our business.”
Dianne Keeping, dean of libraries at Memorial University, says she’s “extremely concerned” about the proposed changes, adding MUN libraries extensively ship materials across multiple locations in their library system.
Keeping says if Canada Post’s library book rate is increased or cancelled, “the impact on our ability to share resources efficiently and affordably will be significant, especially given the budget challenges we are already facing.”
The change wouldn’t just affect the university, she stresses, but also students, researchers and communities across the province, especially in rural and remote areas, “where access to library materials depends on affordable shipping.”
Smee says it would be “financially unsustainable” for libraries to lose the benefit of Canada Post’s Library Book Rate, explaining that losing the discounted rate, “you’re certainly into the millions of dollars.”
It’s not just books that libraries offer, says Brake. They provide audiobooks, DVDs and a variety of other materials that many communities would otherwise not have free access to.
Provincial libraries already underfunded, says advocate
Brake says public libraries in the province are “catastrophically underfunded.” In 2016, the public libraries board announced it would close 54 library branches due to budget cuts but public outcry forced the provincial government to suspend the decision. A 2017 report found that Newfoundland and Labrador libraries are funded 42 per cent below the national average.
Libraries level the playing field between those in smaller communities and those in larger cities by providing access to educational resources, technology and a safe space to learn and connect, says Smee.
“I would hope that we would be hearing something from MPs soon to just clarify what’s going to happen here, and then to at least indicate that they heard the concerns of the library community.”
Source: The Independent
