Canada Post Wasn’t Built to Fail—It’s Being Undermined by CUPW
In his article titled “The truth is that Canada Post was simply set up to fail,” published in The Globe and Mail, writer Taylor C. Noakes asserts that Canada Post has been undone by external pressures—namely American courier competition and broader innovation trends beyond its control.
With all due respect, this perspective demonstrates a lack of understanding of how business—and especially Crown corporations—actually operate.
The Real Issue Isn’t Innovation—It’s Inflexibility
Canada Post has not been set up to fail. In fact, it has been given every opportunity to succeed, including logistical infrastructure, brand trust, and universal reach across Canada. Its core problem is not market disruption, but internal sabotage—primarily due to the inflexible and ideologically driven demands of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW).
As a small business owner in Canada, I—and many others—want Canada Post to succeed. We even accept that it may run at a deficit in the short term. What we cannot accept is that CUPW consistently blocks the organization from modernizing and adapting to market demands. Their demands are rooted not in economic rationale, but in rigid political ideology.
Labor Without Accountability
Unlike the United States Postal Service, which at least answers to a politically engaged electorate, Canada Post’s labor dynamics are shielded from direct voter influence. That lack of accountability gives CUPW significant leverage—leverage they have used, time and again, to obstruct progress.
For comparison, look at Ontario’s teachers’ unions. Voters were long willing to tolerate fiscal waste under the Ontario Liberal Party, but public patience evaporated when teachers’ unions became increasingly militant—going on strike frequently and being perceived as using students as bargaining chips. The result? A voter backlash that propelled Premier Doug Ford into power.
CUPW is creating the same backlash for Canada Post.
Misleading Headlines and Internal Tensions
When the media reports that “Canada Post is on strike,” they mislead the public. Canada Post isn’t on strike—CUPW is. I personally know many excellent Canada Post employees who disagree with CUPW’s tactics but feel silenced and threatened.
Some older, long-tenured CUPW members—especially from the old-stock workforce—hold onto a 1980s mindset, unable or unwilling to acknowledge that labor unions are no longer universally supported, especially by today’s more informed, digitally connected citizens. Even many on the political left now criticize union behavior when it becomes excessive or damaging to public institutions.
Unions Strip Workers of Individual Freedom
Labor unions like CUPW strip individual employees of their right to negotiate on their own behalf. Canada Post is not just fighting against unreasonable wage increases—it is fighting for operational flexibility, the very thing required for survival in today’s logistics industry.
It’s important to remember that Canada Post is a Crown corporation, not a private enterprise. It operates without competition in some areas and is backed by the federal government. However, that government is accountable to taxpayers and voters, and it must justify every dollar spent. When a union like CUPW demands more funding while the corporation bleeds money, the government is left in a bind—and so are the people of Canada.
If this kind of bullying is allowed to continue unchecked, it sets a dangerous precedent that could affect other federal agencies.
Let the People Decide
If CUPW were part of the formal federal workforce—subject to voter decisions—we would likely see a different outcome. Voters could choose to restructure Canada Post’s budget or push for legislative reforms that support flexibility. Small business coalitions would likely form a powerful voting bloc in favor of modernization.
In reality, Canada Post is not insolvent, nor was it designed to fail. It was built to be self-sufficient and to thrive. Its decline is not inevitable—it’s the result of persistent obstruction by a labor union that refuses to adapt to economic reality.
Canada Post can succeed. But it needs freedom from CUPW’s grip to do so.
