Canada Post workers, members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), began rotating strikes this morning across the country. They’re actively fighting big changes to the postal service’s business model recently proposed by the federal government. The union announced a nationwide walkout on September 25. The announcement came right on the heels of the government’s decision to eliminate door-to-door mail delivery for almost all Canadian homes over the next ten years.
The union—representing 55,000 active and retired members—strongly opposed these changes, warning about their potentially far-reaching effects. They had brought their concerns to a roundtable with Joël Lightbound, the federal minister in charge of Canada Post, just one day before the strike was announced. The union’s leadership focused on the disastrous consequences it would have on workers and the communities they serve.
In reaction to these events, Canada Post will be relaunching regular mail and parcel delivery. They’ll be doing this for the first time on a limited basis over the next week. The rotating strikes have the deliberate effect of making the service chaos in any particular area but leaving some service running. This tactic is meant to shine a spotlight on CUPW’s complaints about the federal government’s changes to Canada Post’s mandate to privatize parts of its operations.
The proposed alterations to Canada Post’s business model have raised debate across Canada from typeface to coast. Critics of the proposal have claimed that ending door-to-door delivery would have a disproportionate impact on marginalized communities, particularly those in rural and low-income urban areas. Proponents of the changes argue that streamlined services are essential for transforming Canada Post into a more relevant and financially stable institution.
