Part of what makes observing Prime Minister Mark Carney so frustrating is how wasteful his approach already appears. When someone becomes a public servant, their employer is the public. Yes, unions have the legal right to strike, but those rights are naturally limited when working in an essential service.
This entire “dog and pony show” revolves around the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) refusing to budge on their pension plan — which is the real reason why community mailboxes are being phased out.
Canada Post is extremely limited in how it can restructure. Making matters worse, CUPW, while making demands on an employer that is effectively bankrupt, also wants to dictate how Canada Post is operated. If you read the union’s demands, CUPW — which is itself a private organization — appears to be trying to hijack a public institution.
We are not claiming Canada Post is efficiently run — it clearly isn’t
We are not claiming Canada Post is efficiently run — it clearly isn’t — but even an inefficient Canada Post still belongs to the people of Canada, not to its 55,000 employees. These employees currently enjoy what, in many contexts, would be considered illegal job protections.
Delivering mail is not a highly skilled trade that cannot be duplicated. Canadians are essentially paying a premium for a service that could, in many respects, be performed by entry-level workers. Given the heavy automation Canadian taxpayers have already funded at Canada Post, most CUPW workers are effectively interchangeable.
Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) is helping run Canada into bankruptcy
In reality, CUPW is helping run Canada into bankruptcy. These are not doctors, nurses, scientists, or engineers — professions that Canada actually needs and that can credibly claim leverage. For example, when CN Rail went on strike a few years ago, those were highly skilled engineers whose absence caused legitimate national concern.
Canada Post’s leverage, from a common-sense perspective, is minimal. Yet politically, Mark Carney appears to be using this dispute for his own advantage. This showcases not only the union’s inflexibility but also the wastefulness of Carney’s government.
The new terms laid out by Joël Lightbound and the rhetoric from Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu seem designed to place blame squarely on Canada Post itself. However, the real problem is legislative. Canada Post currently lacks the flexibility to meet public demand without first negotiating with its labour union.
Again, we are not talking about engineers or highly skilled professionals here. Mail carriers are comparable to couriers, and courier jobs are entry-level. Most couriers in the private sector do not enjoy the same job security, benefits, or automation support that Canada Post workers do.
We’re keeping this post short because we believe the chaos — and the wasteful, unnecessary spending — may only be beginning.
Latest Developments
After weeks of stalled negotiations and mounting pressure on both sides, Canada Post is set to present new global offers to CUPW on Friday.
The meeting comes 44 days after CUPW last submitted its own proposals and 63 days since the conclusion of a forced vote that failed to resolve the impasse.
Union negotiators confirmed they will receive the Corporation’s latest proposals during Friday’s session. Once the offers are reviewed, CUPW says it will provide members with an update “as soon as possible.”
The labour standoff has stretched on for months, with 55,000 postal workers represented by CUPW locked in negotiations with the Crown corporation over wages, part-time work, and delivery standards.
CUPW members rejected what Canada Post described as its “final offer.”
In early August, CUPW members rejected what Canada Post described as its “final offer.” The union countered with a proposal that the Corporation argued added “significant new costs and restrictions at a challenging time” for the postal service.
Canada Post, which continues to report financial losses, has pushed for concessions on issues such as weekend delivery and the use of part-time staff, while CUPW has sought stronger protections and improved compensation for its members.
Adding to the tension, CUPW recently escalated job action by banning the delivery of unaddressed flyers, known as Neighbourhood Mail. The union said the move was necessary to pressure Canada Post back to the bargaining table. The Corporation, in turn, urged CUPW to lift the ban, arguing that millions of flyers remain “trapped in the network.”
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