Starting next week, an NDP MP says he will begin touring the country in an effort to “save Canada Post.”

Alexandre Boulerice, the NDP critic for Canada Post, said he will meet with citizens across the Canada, asking them to “continue to sign petitions, to send letters to Lisa Raitt…because we want to keep good services with Canada Post, and we want to keep it as a public service for Canadians in this country.” He will kick off his country-wide tour in Quebec.

The NDP held a news conference Monday to address recent cuts to Canada Post services -- the same day the Crown corporation hiked up its stamp prices.

The cost of mailing a first-class letter within Canada rose to 85-cents, up from 63-cents. The new prices only apply to stamps bought in packs; the cost of purchasing an individual stamp will now be $1.

Canada Post gave the notice of the price hike in December, as part of its “5-Point Action Plan,” which also includes cutting door-to-door mail delivery.

Speaking alongside Denis Lemelin, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), Boulerice pointed out that 75 per cent of small and medium-sized business owners were unhappy with the price hikes.

And in a statement issued Monday, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says the new prices will affect small businesses that send letter mail every month.

A recent survey conducted by the CFIB found that out of the 8,000 small businesses that make up its membership, 40 per cent say they send at least 50 pieces of letter mail per month.

"From connecting with customers to invoicing or paying suppliers, the need isn’t going away any time soon,” CFIB President Dan Kelly said in the statement.

But the new stamp prices won’t just affect small businesses, Boulerice said.

“Charities right across the country will see their administrative costs skyrocket and they will keep less money in their pocket to be able to help people in our communities,” said Boulerice. “So we’re really concerned about that.”

Meanwhile, Lemelin voiced concerns over a double-standard price system that he says is structured to give big businesses a break, while forcing smaller organizations to pay more.

“That’s the Conservative way: one standard for their corporate friends and another for everybody else,” he said. “We have to keep fighting to protect the postal service.”