Toronto, ON – May 15
Amid rumours of another Canada Post strike, a new statement released by Dan Kelly, the president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), asks that Canada Post and its union to avoid another strike for the sake of Canadian small business.
In the statement, Kelly emphasizes the negative impact that the last Canada Post strike, which took place from November 15 to December 17 of last year. “We are at a critical time for the country with small businesses grappling with massive uncertainty created by trade tensions with the United States and China,” Kelly says.
He continues, emphasizing supply-side problems looming in Canada: “We cannot afford another threat to our economic stability, and we can’t keep finding ourselves back in the same spot with an unreliable supply chain and an important service again not being available to small firms.”
The CFIB says that they foremost want both parties to come to a peaceful agreement in order to stop another Canada Post strike, though Kelly notes that if it were to come to it, they’d like to see the government step in: “If an agreement cannot be reached, government needs to use its legislative authority to maintain operations while it implements emergency reforms to address the long-term future of Canada Post.”
Effects of the 2024 Canada Post Strike
This statement from the CFIB is not without its merit when looking at the effects of 2024’s Canada Post strike. In a report from the organization in the aftermath of the strike, CFIB reported that it had cost small and medium-sized businesses $1.6 billion by December 13, and that nearly 3 quarters of small businesses in Canada intended to rely less on Canada Post in the future.
The strike also split public opinion in Canada, with roughly a third of respondents in an Angus Reid poll siding with Canada Post, a little under a third siding with the union, and a little over a third siding with neither party or being unsure. Over this period, it is estimated that ten million packages were not delivered.
The strike is expected to begin on May 22 if a deal is not reached.
About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 100,000 members across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners’ chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.
