I completely agree that Canadians' ability to use cheques should not be sacrificed on the grounds of technological improvement. It makes more sense to bring such improvement to cheque processing than it does to abandon a payment method that is cost-effective, universally deployed and understood, and with centuries of jurisprudence behind it.
We at RDM process millions of cheques electronically every week for many U.S. financial institutions; the irony that we can't do the same thing for Canadian cheques despite being a Canadian-based company is routinely pointed out to us.
Rather than research alternatives to the cheque, the Canadian banking system would be better served by embracing proven technologies that increase the efficiencies of cheque processing and let Canadians decide which payment method they prefer to use or receive.
President, RDM Corp.,