Canada Post has submitted a transformation plan to the federal government it says will provide reliable and affordable delivery and protect mail for rural, remote and Indigenous communities while keeping the Crown corporation financially solvent.
The plan submitted Friday to Joël Lightbound, minister of government transformation, public works and procurement includes the conversion of households that aren’t already using them to community mailboxes, the modernization of it post office network, changing service standards for letter mail and reducing overhead costs.
In September, the federal government gave Canada Post 45 days to submit a plan to make changes that would avoid it becoming a recurring burden on taxpayers. It was directed to respond to an environment in which e-mail and other forms of electronic communications and private couriers have reduced the need for conventional “snail mail.”
The carrier said its plan “would also support the minister’s direction to ensure postal services remain accessible to all Canadians, particularly those in rural, remote and Indigenous communities.”
It was not known when details of the plan would be released.
“The comprehensive plan we have submitted responds to our challenges and modernizes the postal service to support today’s economy while serving all Canadians,” Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger said in a press release.
“While our situation requires that we act with urgency, we will be thoughtful and respectful in our approach and responsive to feedback. Canadians deserve a postal service that is strong, stable and focused on meeting their changing needs, and we are focused on delivering that.”
Canada Post said details of the plan will not be released until it is finalized and endorsed. Among its goals are to “proceed thoughtfully” to minimize how the changes affect Canadians, provide regular updates on the transformation and remain flexible based on the evolving needs of Canadians.
Canada Post, which has been locked in a sporadic and bitter labour dispute with about 55,000 workers in the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) for about a year, said it will “continue to be fair and respectful to our employees and prioritize their safety as we implement changes.”
The union, which met again on Monday with Canada Post and federal mediators, criticized the company for not discussing its plan with Canadians.
“Canadians deserve a say in this plan before it is finalized,” union president Jan Simpson said in a statement. “Once again, the real owners – the public – are being cut out of the process. The union has also not seen or heard of any details of Canada Post’s plan.”
“That said, we know that service cutbacks aren’t the answer,” Simpson said. “With its recent stamp rate increase, Canada Post is already on the way to financial sustainability. Canada Post’s new $376 million in letter mail revenues in the first six months of 2025 is already more than what the corporation says it will save yearly if it ends door-to-door delivery.”
The union, which has been demanding a 24 per cent wage increase over four years, enhanced benefits, stronger protections against technological change, more paid medical leave and improved short-term disability coverage for its workers, has said it believes stable parcel revenues alone would bring the corporation close to self-sufficiency. It is continuing rotating strikes across the country that began six weeks ago.
