As unionized postal workers vote on the latest and “final” offers from Canada Post, it may be too little, too late for some businesses as a new survey suggests they are “starting to leave for good.”
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) released the results of a survey conducted through June and July of 2025 on how businesses have responded to the service disruptions at Canada Post amid the roughly 18 months of union negotiations and strike action.
“Yo-yoing in and out of strike mandates is causing Canada’s small businesses — one of Canada Post’s last groups of profitable customers — to leave for good,” said president Dan Kelly at the CFIB.
“Small business owners and other consumers need certainty. Thirteen per cent of small businesses permanently dropped usage of Canada Post during the 2024 strike and every time Canada Post goes on strike, more and more businesses leave forever.”
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According to the report, the CFIB estimates the 2024 strike cost small businesses between $75 million and $100 million each day.
Most businesses (71 per cent) responded to the disruptions by encouraging customers to use digital options, nearly half (45 per cent) turned to private couriers, while 27 per cent delayed mail.
“The number one thing we’re hearing from business owners is that we have tons of uncertainty already with the Canada-U.S. trading relationship, and then if we add to that ongoing uncertainty with respect to whether or not the postal service is going to work, it’s a huge impact,” says Kelly.
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“There are lots of small businesses that are starting to leave for good.”
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CUPW urges members to reject Canada Post contract vote
Members of Canada Post’s largest union of postal workers are currently voting on the latest and “final” offers from the Crown corporation, which could bring an end to the uncertainty.
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Although the company has described these offers as “final,” and a smaller union of postal workers ratified their own deal, the larger Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has urged members to vote against it.
If the deal is rejected by the workers it could prolong the negotiations and strike action.
The voting period for the approximately 53,000 members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers kicked off on Monday and will end on Aug. 1, with the offers from Canada Post including a wage increase, a signing bonus, and maintaining a defined benefit pension and job security.
CUPW said on Monday that “Canada Post’s offers fall short of what postal workers have rightfully earned. They ignore the day-to-day realities we face on the work floor, fail to meet our key bargaining demands, and aim to weaken the protections we’ve fought hard to secure.”
0:44
Canada Post reaches deal with CPAA, its 2nd largest union
Canada Post has been struggling financially for several years, with a recent report by the Industrial Inquiry Commission saying the company was “effectively insolvent” as it loses market share to competition from private companies, including UPS, FedEx and Amazon, among others.
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The report by the IIC found Canada Post lost $748 million in 2023, a 26-per cent increase from the $548 million lost a year prior.
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