Canada Post strike could begin Friday

For the second time in six months, customers should be prepared for service delays as Canada Post received strike notices from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), for both the Urban and Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers bargaining units.

The notices indicate that CUPW intends to begin the strike as of Friday, May 23 at 12 a.m., unless the parties reach agreements before then.

Canada Post says that in the event CUPW initiates rotating strike activity, it intends to continue delivering in unaffected areas to minimize service disruptions.

In the event of a national labour disruption, mail and parcels will not be delivered and no new items will be accepted until the disruption is over. All mail and parcels in the network will be secured and delivered as quickly as possible once operations resume. Social assistance cheques and live animals mark the two exceptions, with delivery of both continuing — though no new animals would be let through.

On Friday, a federally commissioned report on the 158-year-old institution highlighted its flagging business model and recommended foundational changes, including phasing out daily door-to-door letter mail delivery for individual residences while maintaining it for businesses.

The 162-page paper by William Kaplan, who headed the commission, stated that moratoriums on rural post office closures and community mailbox conversions should be lifted as well.

The potential for another strike comes at a critical moment for the postal system. Since 2018, the corporation has recorded more than $3 billion in losses before tax, and it says it will post another significant loss for 2024. In early 2025, the Government of Canada announced repayable funding of up to $1.034 billion for Canada Post to prevent insolvency.

The 32 day strike during peak shipping season ahead of the holidays last November and December left millions of letters and parcels in limbo.

Canada Post states that following either a rotating strike or a national labour disruption, processing and delivery may take some time to fully return.