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.
The debate was requested — and later denied — as Canada Post sought to reassure Canadians about the future of nationwide mail service despite future cuts and reductions.
NDP interim Leader Don Davies said he requested the 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.”
Story continues below advertisement
The Bloc Quebecois supported Davies’ request when it was presented in the House of Commons, but Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia denied the move, saying it did not meet the standards for an urgent debate.
“That said, I know this is a subject that is of interest to many members, and I am open to reconsidering this request at a later date if the situation compels,” Scarpaleggia added.
2:00
Canada Post operations not ‘viable,’ Carney says amid strike action
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.
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.
Story continues below advertisement
Davies said the government’s announcement dropped “a bomb” in the middle of collective bargaining that has been going on for months.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
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.
CUPW members rallied Monday outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Ottawa on Wednesday along with NDP MPs to the Liberals to reverse course.
1:50
Faith in mail services diminishing amid another Canada Post strike
Canada Post issues ‘commitment to all Canadians’
In an open letter released Wednesday, titled “Our commitment to all Canadians,” Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger said he fully supports the government’s measures as necessary to return the company to financial stability.
Story continues below advertisement
“But it’s important to emphasize that we remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting services in rural, remote, northern and Indigenous communities,” he wrote. “As someone who comes from rural Nova Scotia, I deeply understand the need for these vital services.”
However, Ettinger noted that in order to “align our operations to the modern needs of the country, we’ll need to be leaner.”
“Serving a country as large as Canada will always be labour-intensive, but we’re overstaffed,” he said. “With thousands of employees eligible to retire over the next five years, we can minimize the
impact on our people.”
Trending Now
‘This was a tragedy’: RCMP say ground search for 6-year-old Alberta boy has been called off
Minimum wage raised in 5 provinces, with Alberta now the lowest
He said the company remains “committed to reaching new agreements at the bargaining table” with CUPW that “reflect our financial reality and support the changes we need to make.”
The letter does not mention Lightbound’s direction to Canada Post to reduce its management size and payrolls as part of an overall restructuring.
The minister last week gave Canada Post 45 days to present a plan on how to institute the proposed changes.
“The journey to restore and renew the postal service is now under way,” Ettinger’s letter reads. “We will share information as we go on the changes and how we will implement them.”
1:34
Carney: Canada Post needs ‘significant changes,’ but remains part of ‘fabric’ of country
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.
Story continues below advertisement
Ettinger said Wednesday that over 17,000 households are signed up with Canada Post’s “delivery accommodation program” that ensures door delivery for Canadians with accessibility challenges.
“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.
More on Canada
More videos
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.
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.
The party has been vocal about the potential loss of postal operations in rural Quebec through post office closures, as well as the impact on seniors who rely on door-to-door delivery.
Blanchet in question period accused the Liberals of “provocation” in the Canada Post labour negotiations and urged the government to bring in “serious experts” to advise them on potential reforms.
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Lightbound noted the government’s changes were based on recommendations in a May report by the Industrial Inquiry Commission, which consulted with the company and CUPW along with other stakeholders including government, business and Indigenous groups.
Story continues below advertisement
“The postal service is an essential service. We need a viable postal service,” Carney said in response to Blanchet.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.