The chaos caused by the Canada Post strike and what it means for students this holiday season | 

Karra Smith, Staff Writer | 

Canada Post employees went on strike Nov. 15, 2024, after the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and the Canada Post corporation were unable to reach an agreement over a number of regulations and changes in Canada Post’s business structure.

With initial bargaining beginning in November 2023, both parties have been incapable of meeting in the middle over a number of issues. Some of the key points of disagreement include employee compensation, job stability, working conditions, schedule changes and many others.

A statement issued via the Canada Post website on Nov. 15, warns that “Customers will experience delays due to the strike activity.” The statement later goes on to mention that,

“No new items will be accepted until the national disruption is over.”

Similarly, CUPW also put out a statement on the 15th. “We still believe we can achieve negotiated collective agreements, but Canada Post must be willing to resolve our new and outstanding issues.”

The back and forth between the two parties has been inconclusive so far with Canada’s Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon saying on X, “After several intensive days of negotiation … parties remain too far apart on critical issues for mediation to be successful at this time.”

This has led Canada Post to say in a negotiation update that their proposals are focused on flexibility and growth that requires change. Following that statement, Canada Post highlighted the CUPW’s decision to not respond to their proposal at all.

As a reply to the statement made by Canada Post, the CUPW issued their own update, titled “Canada Post’s Misinformation.” In the update, the CUPW stated that “Canada Post’s latest information update of November 26 describing what is going on at the bargaining table is full of half-truths and outright deception.”

The Canada Post strike may leave holiday shoppers and students with more anxiety
this holiday season over delayed shipping. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Canada Post employees were last on strike in 2018. The strike lasted a month before the federal government mandated the employees return to work. However, in a statement made early Wednesday morning, MacKinnon says that binding arbitration is “not in the cards” for the current situation.

What this means for students

With the holidays looming, the impact of the strike on students (particularly those who live in residence and receive mail) may cause some added disruptions. With Canada Post not currently accepting or delivering any mail, sending out a package or a letter will have to be done through a different courier—many of which are already preparing for a surge in business. The downside to this means there will likely be a higher delivery cost on packages as mail couriers separate from Canada Post are competing companies.

Another probable issue for students is the delay of any potential packages coming in before the start of winter break. The outcome of the strike is unknown at the moment as is the time frame for how long it will last—meaning packages currently under the handling of Canada Post have no clear status update. This also impedes students’ accessibility to their packages, which during this time of year has left many people frustrated and confused.

Karra Smith is a Staff Writer for The Reflector 2024-2025.