Friday September 26, 2025 | NATIONAL NEWS [Reporting from Victoria, BC]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
A national postal strike was launched Thursday by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) in response to an announcement by the federal government aimed at launching what Canada Post calls their “transformation”.
As a cost-saving measure, delivery of mail by Canada Post will be based on volume, not ‘every day to every address’.
The goal, ultimately, is to save Canada Post,” said Joël Lightbound, Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement in his announcement in Ottawa on September 25.
“We’re disappointed that the union chose teo escalate their strike activity which will further deteriorate Canada Post’s financial siuation,” it was stated by the crown corporation in a message to their business customers Thursday.
Canada Post operations will be shut down during the strike. This will impact Canadians and businesses, the corporation said.
CUPW response:
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) responded to the federal announcement saying the “public post office is under attack”.
“These recommendations could result in major job losses,” stated CUPW in a news release.
A full labour strike started immediately on September 25 in response to the federal announcement.
No mail or parcels:
Letter mail and parcels that are currently in the postal network will be secure and then delivered after operations resume, says Canada Post.
Transformation:
The federal government has instructed Canada Post to begin their transformation which includes dropping the mandate for Canada Post to provide daily door to door delivery and instead use community mailboxes. This was 10 years on pause (an idea first proposed by the Conservative government of Stephen Harper and put on pause while Justin Trudeau was Liberal prime minister).
Twenty years ago, Canada Post delivered 5.5 billion letters annually. Today, it delivers only 2 billion, even as the number of households has grown. That means fewer letters are being delivered to more addresses, while fixed costs remain high.
“This situation is unsustainable,” said Joël Lightbound, Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement, referring to the financial insolvency of Canada Post.
“This is about saving Canada Post and making sure it has a viable future,” said Lightbound in response to a media question about the possibility off worker layoffs.
Three measures:
These are the measures issued by government that are intended to stabilize the finances of Canada Post and enable its modernization.
· Letter Mail Delivery Standards: Canada Post will introduce flexibilities to reflect today’s lower volumes. The average household receives just two letters per week, yet operations remain designed for far higher volumes. By adjusting standards so that non-urgent mail can move by ground instead of air, the corporation will save more than $20 million per year.
· Community Mailbox Conversions: The government is lifting the moratorium on community mailbox conversions. Currently, three-quarters of Canadians already receive mail through community, apartment, or rural mailboxes, while one-quarter still receive door-to-door delivery. Canada Post will be authorized to convert the remaining 4 million addresses to community mailboxes, generating close to $400 million in annual savings.
· Postal Network Modernization: The moratorium on rural post offices, in place since 1994, will also be lifted. The rural moratorium was imposed in 1994 and covers close to 4000 locations. It has not evolved in 30 years, but Canada has changed. This means that areas that used to be rural may now be suburban or even urban, but are still required to operate as rural post offices. Canada Post must return to the government with a plan to modernize and right-size its network.
“Canada Post is effectively insolvent, and repeated bailouts are not a long-term solution. Transformation is required to ensure the survival of Canada Post and protect the services Canadians rely on,” said Lightbound in his announcement on September 25.
Canada Post welcomes the change:
Canada Post says they welcome the measures set forth by the federal government which it characterizes as being a way to stabilize the financial viability of the crown corporation.
There has not yet been any statement about how Canada Post will ‘transform’. But over the past year or two the bargaining efforts of Canada Post with the union have included the corporation’s intention to drop daily door-to-door (i.e. just deliver when mail is there to be delivered), start doing weekend delivery, and hire part-time workers.
A shift in wording by Canada Post sees a commitment to deliver to “every community across the country” as a change from ‘every household/door’.
Respecting historical value:
“Canada Post is a vital national institution worth preserving,” said Minister Lightbound about Canada Post as an institutional that has served Canadians for over 150 years.
“The measures announced today will help place the corporation on a stronger financial footing and provide the flexibility it needs to adapt to a rapidly changing environment,” the Minister stated.
Public response:
So many more people no longer rely on Canada Post that this news probably have as wide an impact as it would have in decades past.
There have been so many postal disruptions over the last two decades that many businesses and households have adapted to other sources of delivery service. Digital technology and business innovation have enabled many of these permanent shifts away from relying on Canada Post (e.g. email, courier services).
CUPW has often highlighted their unofficial role as ‘community watchdogs’ in communities where they get to know the people and the neighbourhoods. But communities have largely adapted to that as well through social media communication and neighbourhood watch.
===== RELATED:
- NEWS SECTIONS: CANADA POST | JOBS & EMPLOYMENT
- Canada Post preparing new global offers for CUPW (September 19, 2025)
- No flyer delivery as Canada Post workers continue job action (September 12, 2025)
- Canada Post advises business customers about new US prepaid export duties (August 24, 2025)
- What can possibly break the Canada Post bargaining stalemate? (August 6, 2025)
- Canada Post workers still on the job with overtime ban (May 23, 2025)
- Post-pandemic social anxiety in dogs leads to incidents for Canada Post delivery agents (July 17, 2021)
- Canada Post employees require safety around dogs (July 12, 2021)