OTTAWA — The federal minister in charge of Canada Post told a parliamentary committee Thursday the recent changes to the Crown corporation’s mandate are not aimed at reducing any service to rural and remote communities where the post office is a considered a lifeline.

Procurement Minister Joel Lightbound announced significant changes to the company’s mandate on Sept. 25 as the government looks to help Canada Post cut costs and salvage its flagging business.

That included ending a decades-long moratorium on closing rural post offices — a move that sparked some concern about the future of mail delivery in remote communities that often aren’t well served by private couriers.

Lightbound told the standing committee on government operations and estimates that some post offices covered by the

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