CUPW slams Canada Post overhaul, warns of major job losses and service cuts

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers( CUPW) is warning that recent government-backed reforms to Canada Post will “gut” the public postal service, eliminate thousands of unionized jobs and harm communities nationwide.

During testimony Oct. 28 before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, CUPW argued that Minister Jean-Yves Duclos Lightbound’s proposed changes are unnecessary to restore Canada Post’s financial health. The union said the corporation’s losses stem mainly from lower parcel volumes tied to “labour uncertainty,” not outdated regulations.

CUPW said a planned 2025 stamp price increase is expected to generate about $800 million in new revenue, enough to help return the Crown corporation to sustainability without cutting jobs or ending door-to-door delivery.

The union also alleged a conflict of interest, revealing that CEO Doug Ettinger and several senior officials sit on Purolator’s board of directors.

CUPW called for a full public consultation process on the future of the postal service, saying the government’s adoption of the Kaplan Report interfered with collective bargaining and ignored input from workers and municipalities.

Meanwhile, negotiations between CUPW and Canada Post resumed this past week with federal mediators for the first time since early October. Rotating strikes and other job actions, including the refusal to deliver unaddressed mail in Quebec, remain ongoing.