OTTAWA—The federal government today introduced legislation (Bill C-44) clarifying that any company in Canada wanting to send outbound mail through international postal systems can do so.

For more than 20 years, Canadian printers and mailing houses have used re-mail companies or trucked U.S.-bound mail across the border to save on postage. In 2005, however, Canada Post challenged the legality of this practice, arguing that it had exclusive privilege on the delivery of all mail originating in Canada, and the courts ruled in their favour.

Bill-C44, if passed, will overrule the court decisions.

Similar legislation introduced in 2007 (Bill C-14) died because an election was called.

The bill has to go through the usual three readings before it is passed as law, but Bob Elliott, president of the Canadian Printing Industries Association says, “There seems to be a lot of support for this from Conservatives and Liberals.”