Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon criticized Canada Post management and workers Wedneday, calling their handling of the 19-day strike “highly disrespectful” to Canadians during the busy holiday mailing season. Blacklock's Reporter says the strike by 55,000 Canadian Union of Postal Workers members has disrupted Christmas deliveries at a time when the post office typically handles over a million parcels daily.“The parties are still very far apart and that is, in my view, highly disrespectful of Canadians who are suffering through this work stoppage — small businesses, people in rural and remote communities who rely on Canada Post and its services,” said MacKinnon. “These parties have to knuckle down and get the work done.”Asked whether he was considering intervening, MacKinnon responded, “I am not contemplating an intervention,” adding, “The Minister of Labour is not the employer.”The last pre-Christmas postal disruption in 2018 lasted 35 days before back-to-work legislation was enacted. Canada Post, which reported 1.8 million same-day deliveries on December 4, 2017, has seen its operations significantly disrupted during what is traditionally its busiest season.Management has pointed to heavy losses as a key issue, with Canada Post last reporting a pre-tax profit in 2017. Since then, combined losses have totaled $3.3 billion, according to testimony from Alexandre Brisson, vice-president of operations, at the Commons government operations committee.“We are now facing intensifying competition from low-cost operators who have disrupted the parcel delivery market in just a few short years,” said Brisson. “As a result, our market share has significantly dropped.”The financial strain has led Canada Post to propose a 25% increase in stamp rates, effective January 13, marking the second hike in eight months. If approved, the cost of a domestic letter stamp would rise from 99¢ to $1.24, letters to U.S. addresses would increase from $1.40 to $1.75, and overseas letters would jump from $2.92 to $3.65.Liberal MP Charles Sousa (Mississauga-Lakeshore, Ont.), parliamentary secretary for the Department of Public Works, called Canada Post’s ongoing losses “concerning.”“Obviously, Canada Post’s recurring financial losses are concerning, concerning in the sense it is almost unsustainable,” said Sousa. “We have a lot of challenges before us. Private shippers are using low-cost gig economy and contract labour, and certainly, compensation restrictions pose conflicts for Canada Post.”
