CANADA Post has asked the Minister of Jobs and Families to exercise her authority, under section 108.1 of the Canada Labour Code, to direct that a vote take place, administered by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), on the final offers submitted by Canada Post to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) on May 28.

Canada Post and CUPW have been engaged in collective bargaining for the Urban and RSMC (Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers) bargaining units since November 2023. Despite months of conciliation and mediation, the parties remain unable to reach new agreements at the table. The parties have attempted new and traditional bargaining methods and tested out some issues through an integrative process, which was developed between the parties to encourage more open discussions at the table. Unfortunately, even with these efforts, and the completion of the Industrial Inquiry Commission (IIC) and release of its final report in May, the parties remain at an impasse, Canada Post said.

Canada Post said it agrees with the IIC’s finding that “the best possible collective agreement … is the one that the parties themselves have fashioned rather than one imposed by a third party through interest arbitration.” However, given the level of the impasse and CUPW’s negotiating position, it is not possible to reach tentative agreements in the normal course.

After more than 18 months of collective bargaining, we believe the best hope of achieving freely negotiated collective agreements is an employee vote administered by the CIRB under section 108.1 of the Canada Labour Code. In these circumstances, employees in each bargaining unit would have the opportunity to voice their decision by voting on Canada Post’s final offers.

Canada Post said: “The impasse, and CUPW’s strike activity, have had a significant impact on the country, the Corporation and our employees. The impact of the 32-day strike at the end of 2024 on small businesses, charities and rural and remote communities has been well documented. For the Corporation, it’s estimated the labour disruption contributed a net negative impact of $208 million toward its $841-million loss before tax in 2024. The company’s business has continued to drop significantly since CUPW resumed strike activity in May 2025, with our parcel business already down by two-thirds compared to this time last year.”

The IIC report concludes that “Canada Post is facing an existential crisis: It is effectively insolvent, or bankrupt. Without thoughtful, measured, staged, but immediate changes, its fiscal situation will continue to deteriorate.”

Canada Post said: “The seven recommendations contained in the IIC’s final report chart a path to a negotiated resolution that allows Canada Post to meet the needs of Canadians and businesses in today’s economy, help address the company’s financial sustainability, and maintain good jobs. Canada Post’s final offers reflect these recommendations entirely. We have also made key concessions in a serious attempt to reach new collective agreements.”

However, CUPW’s negotiating position remains entirely at odds with the findings and recommendations of the IIC. Furthermore, CUPW has recently retracted its tentative agreement on key issues reached earlier this year, Canada Post said.

It added: “At this point, Canada Post has made the request to the Minister of Jobs and Families to exercise her authority, under section 108.1 of the Canada Labour Code, to direct that a vote take place, administered by the CIRB, on the final offers submitted by Canada Post to CUPW on May 28. Therefore, there is nothing further to share regarding a potential vote other than the fact that we will respect the Minister’s decision.”

Details about Canada Post’s final offers for the Urban and RSMC bargaining units are available at canadapost.ca/offers.