The Canadian Union of Postal Workers launched a national strike, forcing Canada Post to shut down operations nationwide.
Canada Post said some post offices will close, all service guarantees for items already in the network are suspended, and no new items will be accepted until the national disruption ends. The corporation added that all mail and parcels currently in the system will be secured and delivered “as quickly as possible” once operations resume, but processing and delivery may take time to fully return to normal.
Minister Joël Lightbound announced that the government will instruct Canada Post to implement key recommendations from William Kaplan’s May Industrial Inquiry Commission report, signaling major service cutbacks: converting 4 million addresses to community mailboxes, weakening the rural moratorium on post-office closures, granting “flexibility” to delivery standards that could reduce the five-day requirement, and allowing more frequent stamp-price increases.
The CUPW condemned the move as an “outrage,” saying Lightbound gave no hint of these changes in a meeting last week and calling the announcement inconsistent with his professed “utmost respect” for postal workers. The union argues community mailbox conversions ignore customers’ preference for parcel delivery to the door and repeat problems from a decade ago, warns that weaker delivery standards could depress mail volumes and public confidence, and stresses the rural moratorium’s role in universal service.
The union also flagged potential major job losses, alleging the minister dodged questions on this, and criticized the government for rejecting revenue diversification and service expansion in favor of cuts.
“In response to the Government’s attack on our postal service and workers, effective immediately, all CUPW members at Canada Post are on a nation-wide strike,” CUPW said.
On the other hand, Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger said Lightbound’s announcement “will allow us to make the changes needed to restore Canada’s postal service,” pledging to work with government and employees to implement reforms with urgency to keep a “strong, affordable, Canadian-made, Canadian-run delivery provider” serving every community.
The company reported a second-quarter loss of $407 million—its largest pre-tax quarterly loss on record—and cumulative operating losses of more than $5 billion from 2018 through Q2 2025, while letter mail volumes fell from 5.5 billion pieces in 2006 to two billion last year.
The Industrial Inquiry Commission warned in May 2025 that “Canada Post is facing an existential crisis: It is effectively insolvent, or bankrupt.”
Small-business stakeholders said the timing and scope of the work stoppage will be costly. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business called the nationwide strike “massive” in impact, noting last year’s strike alone cost small firms “over $1 billion,” and urged the government to push ahead with its proposed changes.
CFIB added that Canada needs temporary or permanent essential services legislation so service continues while reforms take effect, and earlier in the day welcomed the reforms as “long overdue” but warned “there’s still no deal between Canada Post and the union.”
Limited exceptions remain in place during the strike. Canada Post and CUPW agreed to continue the delivery of socio-economic cheques from eligible government organizations during any disruption, and existing live-animal shipments will proceed under established processes but no new shipments will be accepted.
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