August 25, 2025 | EN PDF | FR PDF
The recent CUPW vote rejecting Canada Post Corporation’s (CPC) final offer has prolonged uncertainty across Canada’s postal network. This ongoing labour has had a significant and adverse impact on the Canadian economy, at a time when national unity and domestic economic cooperation is urgently needed.
A stable, efficient and cost-effective postal service is an essential component of a healthy, growing Canadian economy.
The Canadian Printing Industries Association calls on the Canadian Government to act decisively to stabilize negotiations, protect service continuity, and implement structural reforms identified in the Industrial Inquiry Commission’s (IIC) 2025 report.
The CPIA stands ready to support these efforts with industry data, communications, and policy advocacy.
We call on the Canadian Government to pursue the following actions:
1. Intensive Mediation with Defined Timelines
o Re-engage CPC and CUPW in structured mediation with a fixed 10–14 day schedule
o If impasse persists, refer outstanding issues to interest arbitration under the Canada Labour Code.
2.Service Continuity Planning
o Direct CPC to publish weekly peak-season operational updates for major mailers,
including rural/remote contingency measures.
o Maintain transparent public service notices on delivery expectations.
3.Public Confidence Communication
o Clearly explain the vote outcome and next steps to all Canadians.
o Reassure households and businesses that government is prepared to act to protect postal service.
4.Structural Reforms (Begin Now; Legislate Fall 2025)
o The IIC concluded “status quo is not an option” for CPC’s financial and operational sustainability
o Amend the Postal Service Charter
o Align daily delivery requirements with demand realities: preserve daily service for businesses, shift most residential letter-mail to alternate-day or community mailbox delivery (with accessibility provisions).
5.Lift Moratoriums
o End blanket bans on rural post-office closures and community mailbox conversions, while ensuring minimum-access standards.
6.Modernize Pricing Authority
o Enable more timely letter-rate adjustments to reflect actual costs
7.Enable Flexible Delivery Models
o Negotiate part-time, weekend, and dynamic-routing roles within collective agreements to expand parcel competitiveness.
8.Require a Viability Plan
o Tie the $1.034B solvency facility to measurable KPIs in parcel growth, service performance, and cost control.
Enable Flexible Delivery Models
o Negotiate part-time, weekend, and dynamic-routing roles within collective agreements to
expand parcel competitiveness.
CPIA Commitments to Support Government and CPC. The CPIA will:
1.Act as the Voice of the Customer
Provide CPC and government with aggregated industry data on mailing volumes, delivery
performance, and economic impacts of service disruption.
2.Stabilize Market Confidence
Issue weekly advisories to CPIA members and mail-reliant sectors during the negotiation period, aligned with CPC’s operational updates.
3.Advocate for Balanced Reform
Publicly support reforms that protect service accessibility while enabling CPC’s financial
sustainability.
4.Promote Peak-Season Protection
Encourage a tri-party compact (Government–CPC–CUPW) to refer unresolved bargaining
issues to arbitration before Q4 peak season.
5.Drive “Buy Local, Ship Local” Initiatives
Partner with CPC on programs to strengthen SMB participation in e-commerce shipping
through the postal network.
Action is Urgent
o 68–69% of CUPW members voted against CPC’s final offers.
o CPC faces an existential financial crisis without reform, risking service degradation and loss of market share to private carriers.
o Delayed action compounds volume loss—mailers who leave often do not return.
o Uncertainty erodes confidence across commerce, publishing, and community communications.
The CPIA urges Parliament, CPC, and CUPW to treat the next weeks as decisive. Stabilizing service and implementing IIC-recommended reforms will protect a vital national infrastructure, maintain Canada Post’s relevance, and sustain the many industries and communities that depend on it.