Canada Post workers are on strike for the second time in less than a year after Ottawa announced it would be ending home mail delivery.听Follow the Star’s live coverage Friday.
Union warns of threat of privatization

Canada Post workers picket outside the Commissioners Avenue location. The union representing 55,000 postal workers said they would all be back on picket lines Friday in a nationwide strike.听听
Steve Russell/海角社区官网StarThe Canadian Union of Postal workers says Canada Post’s corporate plan could lead to the privatization of the Crown corporation.
In a news release Friday, CUPW blasted the federal government for what it said was siding with company management. “Instead of supporting good, stable jobs and protecting universal mail service for all Canadians, the government has chosen to side with Canada Post鈥檚 corporate plan 鈥 a plan that the union has long warned was designed to erode services, undermine workers, and pave the way for privatization,” CUPW said. “This strike is about more than just workers鈥 rights. It鈥檚 about defending a public service that communities across this country rely on every single day.”
What the Canada Post strike means for your passports, pension cheques and more
OTTAWA鈥擶ith Canada Post workers hitting picket lines, the flow of mail across the country has stopped.
Here’s what the move means for items you may have been expecting in your mailbox.
Mail delivery
Canada Post says mail and parcels will not be processed or delivered during the strike and some post offices will be closed. It has also suspended service guarantees for items already in the postal network and will not accept new items until the labour disruption is over.
Passports
The federal government is encouraging people applying for passports to use couriers other than Canada Post, if they are applying for their travel document by mail. They say applicants can also visit a Service Canada Centre or passport office to begin the process.
For people who have already applied for passports, the website says the government will make deliveries through another courier. It warns some delays may occur.
Benefits
Canada Post says the striking Canadian Union of Postal Workers has agreed to continue the delivery of socio-economic cheques during the labour disruption.
Bloc describes Ottawa's decision as 'abandonment'
On Parliament Hill, the Bloc Quebecois grilled the government in Question Period, saying the government’s decision is being seen as “abandonment” of Quebec’s rural and remote communities. But the minister responsible, Joel Lightbound, was not in the chamber to address the questions. Instead, government House leader Steve MacKinnon (who last year oversaw troubled postal talks) said the financial losses of Canada Post “are not sustainable. The government of Canada needs to ensure that Canada Post remains financially viable.”
NDP Jenny Kwan blames the Liberals for the state of Canada Post
NDP MP Jenny Kwan heaped blame on the Liberal government for the state of Canada Post, calling it “hypocritical” for taking a similar approach to the Stephen Harper’s Conservatives toward the service.
She told reporters Canada Post should be more innovative and expand its services to remote, rural and Indigenous communities by offering postal banking options, or even wellness checks on seniors or other vulnerable persons in hard-to-reach areas.
“Why don’t we build up Canada Post by utilizing the big footprint 鈥nd build up that infrastructure for Canadians across the country?”, she said.
“One of the reasons why Canada Post is not as competitive as it could be is because the government is limiting their level of service, which is why I say invest in Canada Post and expand their service delivery, and then you can actually be far more competitive in the service.
The other thing we have to remember as well, Canada Post is a service that is meant to be universal and yes, there are communities where you have to deliver the service, where it is not going to be a profit making venture. ”
But Kwan refused to say whether she supported Canada Post鈥檚 push to allow weekend deliveries or more flexible part time work arrangements, saying she didn鈥檛 want to weigh in on issues at the bargaining table.
Business groups warn of 鈥榤assive鈥 impact from another Canada Post strike

The federal government is giving Canada Post the go-ahead to end home delivery for customers who still have it, close some rural post offices, and send mail by land instead of air.
Business groups expect a 鈥渕assive鈥 hit to small firms鈥 operations after unionized postal workers began a countrywide strike on Thursday evening.
But the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says Ottawa must still push forward with announced changes to Canada Post鈥檚 business model, such as the eventual end to door-to-door mail delivery for nearly all Canadian households.
CFIB president Dan Kelly says a strike by the postal workers around the holiday period last year cost small firms over $1 billion and that another labour action in the lead-up to the holiday retail shipping season this year 鈥渋s especially troubling.鈥
Five things to know about Canada Post鈥檚 future after Ottawa announces reforms

An overhaul to Canada Post’s operations is on the way after the federal government delivered a suite of changes Thursday.听听
Adrian Wyld/The Canadian PressMail service is halted at Canada Post after unionized workers announced Thursday they are on a countrywide strike 鈥 the latest eruption in a labour dispute that has been going on for nearly a year.
The move came just hours after the federal government promised a suite of changes to overhaul the Crown corporation鈥檚 operations in response to significant financial losses.
Here鈥檚 what you need to know about the factors affecting the Crown corporation鈥檚 future.
What is Canada Post鈥檚 financial situation?
The mail carrier is hemorrhaging money.
In the second quarter of this year, Canada Post recorded a loss before tax of $407 million 鈥 the Crown corporation鈥檚 largest loss before tax in a single quarter. Canada Post reported a profit of $46 million in the same period a year earlier.
Canada Post lost $448 million before tax in the first half of 2025, following a loss before tax of $30 million in the first half of 2024.
Postal union launches nationwide strike after Ottawa gives Canada Post the OK to end home delivery
Furious postal workers have walked off the job in their second nationwide strike in under a year after Ottawa announced sweeping changes to Canada Post, including the end of home mail delivery.
Citing 鈥渦nsustainable鈥 losses, stalled contract talks and dwindling numbers of Canadians sending letters, the federal government is giving Canada Post the go-ahead to end home delivery for customers who still have it, close some rural post offices, and send mail by land instead of air.
In a press conference Thursday afternoon, federal minister for government transformation, public works and procurement Jo毛l Lightbound announced that he鈥檚 giving the Crown corporation 45 days to come up with a plan to implement the broad restructuring, which he called a necessary step to keep Canada Post alive.
Public Works and Procurement Minister Jo毛l Lightbound announced Thursday door-to-door mail delivery will end for almost all Canadian households within the next decade. He said the changes are meant to shore up Canada Post's finances adding that the corporation "needs to show a path to financial viability."听
鈥淐anada Post is now facing an existential crisis,鈥 said Lightbound, adding that the Crown corporation has racked up more than $5 billion in losses since 2018, and is on track to lose $1.5 billion in 2025.
Just hours after Lightbound鈥檚 announcement, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers announced an immediate, nationwide strike, their second in just under a year.
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