The NDP on Wednesday called for an emergency debate in the House of Commons on the future of Canada Post as the government seeks changes to the company’s business that have sparked a national postal workers’ strike.
NDP interim Leader Don Davies said he sent a letter to the Speaker of the House requesting the emergency debate for Wednesday night, citing “the urgent situation” facing the Crown corporation.
“We all know that delivering the mail today in 2025 is different than it was decades ago. We know there are economic challenges facing Canada Post. However, the question is how best to deal with it,” Davies told reporters ahead of question period.
“That’s why we think an institution as vital to our country as Canada Post is, as historically relevant and as integral it is to our economy, we should be having a debate in this House of Commons looking at every conceivable measure that might be taken to improve its revenue sources and make it viable in the 21st century.”
Joël Lightbound, the minister who oversees Canada Post, announced last week the government would allow Canada Post to convert addresses that still receive door-to-door delivery to be served instead by community mailboxes.
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The company will also be allowed to close some post offices deemed unnecessary and relax its delivery standards.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) responded by quickly launching a national strike, arguing the announced changes would impact postal jobs and shrink the company’s business.
Davies said the government’s announcement dropped “a bomb” in the middle of collective bargaining that has been going on for months.
He added the move was another example of the Liberals interfering in collective bargaining and ignoring workers’ rights, which Davies said he also plans to address in the debate.
Canada Post is expected to deliver new global offers to CUPW this week that reflect the proposed business changes, according to the union. The company has not issued an update since last Friday.
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet earlier Wednesday called on the Liberals to pause the changes to Canada Post and allow all parties to reach a solution together, but did not call for an emergency debate.
The party has been vocal about the potential loss of postal operations in rural Quebec through post office closures.
The government has promised rural, remote and Indigenous mail service will be preserved amid the changes. It says the lifting of the so-called rural post office moratorium reflects the fact many rural communities have grown beyond the need for their own dedicated post office since the policy was first introduced in the 1990s.
“The financial situation of the corporation is a disaster. They’re losing $10 million a day,” Lightbound told reporters while heading into Wednesday’s Liberal caucus meeting.
The minister said he has not met with the CUPW to address their concerns since before last week’s announcement.
Lightbound and Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu have urged Canada Post and CUPW to reach a negotiated deal quickly to both restore mail service affected by the strike and allow Canada Post to address its financial challenges.
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