Shame On You Canada Post (and Canadian Federal Government)
The impact of the Canada Post Strike that commenced as of November 15, 2024 has been more profound than certain analysists care to admit. Scores of families and businesses have been victimized by a blatant display of disrespect carried out by Canada Post, the CUPW (Canadian Union of Postal Workers), and the Canadian federal government supposedly led by Prime Minister Trudeau.
While in the United States postal workers are not allowed to strike, this isn't the case with Canada. In 2011, the federal government intervened when Canada Post had its strike then. Stephen Harper and the Conservatives ran the federal government then and Canadians were in a much better place than they are now. So was Canada Post and its workers.
In 2018, with Justin Trudeau and the Liberals at the federal helm, Canada Post's workers went on strike again. This strike was put to an end by a government that should have rendered postal strikes illegal at that time. Unfortunately, they didn't and now the entire Canadian population is paying the price for this oversight.
2024's strike never should have happened. What's worse is the federal government has the power to stop it right now but they won't. The excuses they come up with are lame, especially since they wasted no time interfering with other strikes (like 2024's CN's strike).
Holding Canadian Mail Hostage
As the postal strike lingers, millions of letters and packages are held like hostages at distribution centers throughout Canada. Instead of at least pushing the stuck mail through, Canada Post and the CUPW (along with Trudeau's cabinet) would rather steal what's left of people's Christmas spirit clean across the nation. This is also affecting international businesses and families as Canada has literally closed the door on them to send (and receive) anything.
There are stories shared by more than just a few people across Canada how this strike is doing more than just keeping their mail from them. Some have lost their jobs as they rely on work Visas. Others are facing financial and medical emergencies because of the strike as cheques and important life-saving supplies are kept from them.
People relying on the mail to submit documents are either forced to wait it out or (if they can) cough up the extra money to pay for courier services. Oddly enough, most of those documents that are to be sent by mail go to government offices. So considering this reality, why does Trudeau's cabinet feel Canada Post no longer provides an essential service?
Shame on Steven McKinnon, Canada's Minister of Labour
Steven McKinnon has repeatedly commented he refuses to intervene on the behalf of millions of Canadians who want the Canada Post strike to end. Instead of looking out for businesses and jobs with a head count far more than 55,000 CUPW strikers, he's ignoring them.
Even the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business are being ignored. Already, Canadians are getting crushed with an unjustified carbon tax that's destroying the nation's economy. The longer the postal strike lingers, the worse things get for every Canadian that calls the "Great White North" home.
Steven McKinnon, Justin Trudeau, and the rest of the Liberal/NDP politicians need to put all of Canada first. They haven't really done this since 2015 and it's become much worse since 2019. Instead of putting Canadians first, they favor agendas and decisions that do the nation far more harm than good.
Shame on CUPW
Although I empathize with CUPW's notion to strike, I don't agree with the tactics. Perhaps this union assumed a strike before Christmas would win them a favorable outcome but it hasn't. Instead, more Canadians are turning against them due to certain actions carried out by some of its union members that include blocking courier services that have nothing to do with Canada Post.
At that point, their actions are technically illegal. This is something McKinnon, Trudeau, and the federal government has chosen to overlook. The CUPW not only turned the Canadian population into victims with its actions but workers who have nothing to do with the strike and are simply doing their jobs.
While the CEO and the directors of Canada Post could clean up their act as well, the CUPW's behavior is considerably worse. Canada Post has offered solutions to end the strike quickly with "room to move" down the road. The CUPW has refused, despite the reality Canada Post's financial situation has faced a downward spiral since 2018.
Instead of going with something to at least get through the 2024 Christmas season for Canadians who are freaking out, they'd rather stick to an agenda that could backfire against them in a big way. This includes job losses should Canada Post decide they've had enough and throw in the towel as a business.
Shame on Canada Post
Canada Post admits to losing money since 2018. They also own Purolator Courier's shares at 90%. Between 2018 and 2024, there was enough time to turn its fortunes around that could have avoided the strike. It's clear this crown corporation needs to become privatized, or at least run by a team professional enough to put common decency ahead of corporate greed.
This matter now goes straight back to Justin Trudeau, Steven McKinnon, and the rest of the federal cabinet who continue to fail Canadians as a government. They all knew this day was coming and yet did nothing to prevent it. Now that it's here, they still choose to do nothing. In the meantime, Canadians are caught in the crossfire of a fight that never should have happened to begin with.
UPDATE: Although the strike has officially ended, it's a temporary fix at best. Both sides have until May to iron out their differences. Failure to do so by that time may lead to another worker's strike. Should this happen, once again the nation will descend into chaos as what used to be a reliable postal system lets the public down again.