Canada Post paid nearly $31 million in bonuses to managers last year despite posting a record $1.57-billion loss and warning Parliament the Crown corporation was on the verge of insolvency.Blacklock's Reporter says financial records tabled before the House of Commons government operations committee show Canada Post distributed $30.8 million in at-risk performance pay to 2,377 management employees in 2025, including 417 executives.The average payout amounted to about $12,958 per manager.The bonuses were approved as Canada Post sought $2.04 billion in interest-free federal loans and CEO Doug Ettinger warned MPs the postal service was "on the brink.""The Board approved payments within the at-risk performance program," Canada Post said in its written response to the committee.The corporation also confirmed that about 4,600 non-management employees received bonus payments, although it did not disclose the total value of those awards.Appearing before the committee on June 19, Ettinger defended the decision to continue paying bonuses, arguing the compensation was necessary to retain key employees."One of the things I lose sleep about is keeping the good people who are with us," Ettinger told MPs."In the broader compensation program, to keep that talent, we paid a bonus last year — sorry, at-risk pay. It was part of their compensation."Ettinger said experienced employees were leaving the organization for other opportunities."My biggest problem is we're getting people stolen away from us who are great people," he said.The bonus figures were requested by Conservative MP Andrew Lawton, who questioned why executives continued receiving performance pay while the Crown corporation posted billion-dollar losses."What we're really after here is whether executives at Canada Post are making out like executives at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation which paid out $30.7 million in bonuses in 2024 or VIA Rail which paid out $11 million in bonuses," Lawton told the committee."We're not after what you're doing to unionized workers," he added. "We want to know how much you and your colleagues are getting while posting a billion-dollar deficit.".Committee documents also show Canada Post continued to spend millions on environmental initiatives during the same period.The Crown corporation reported spending $22.3 million on net-zero initiatives, $5 million on renewable energy contracts, $511,000 on carbon offsets, $267,000 on electric vehicle charging stations and $195,000 on climate reporting and compliance.Canada Post has not recorded a pre-tax profit since 2017.In its most recent annual report to Parliament, the corporation acknowledged that sweeping changes will be required to restore its financial stability."The seismic upheaval in our business environment reflects dramatic changes in the delivery expectations of Canadians," the report states. "These market shifts have precipitated unsustainable financial losses for Canada Post and highlight the significant reforms needed to secure the future of the postal service."
