Yesterday, December 9 and today, December 10, CUPW Negotiators met with Canada Post and the federal mediators to continue discussions on our agreements in principle. Your Negotiators have flagged several issues that needed clarification and modification in the collective agreement language that Canada Post has provided. Before we can reach tentative agreements, we’ll have to work through these issues.  

 

Canada Post Executives at Parliamentary Committee Thursday 

Tomorrow, Canada Post executives – CEO Doug Ettinger, COO Alexandre Brisson, and CFO Rindala El-Hage – will appear before the Parliamentary Committee studying the “Situation at Canada Post.”  

As of the publication of this bulletin, they’re scheduled to appear from 3:30 PM until 5:00 PM. Members can watch the proceedings live at the following link: https://parlvu.parl.gc.ca/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2?fk=13295708. 

 

Public Pushback Growing 

We’re not sure what Canada Post will say, but already we are seeing signs of growing pushback to the Government and Corporation’s plans to gut the public post office.  

 

Stripping Legal Protection for Public Services 

As the Canadian Press reported, the Government’s budget bill includes a change to the Canada Post Corporation Act, eliminating the legal protection of special postage rates for the blind and discounted rates for library materials. While the Government has since responded that it has no intention of doing away with these special rates in practice, the fact remains this vital public service will no longer be protected in the law.  

This confusion underscores the need for what we have been pushing for since the Fall: a fully public and transparent mandate review of Canada Post’s services, so that Canadians can have a say in the future of their public postal service. 

We’ll need every member to get involved in our Hand’s Off Campaign to spread this message. Talk to your friends and neighbours, contact your Member of Parliament and other elected representatives, and let them know why our public post office matters. 

 

In solidarity,