Canada Post workers have been striking for a week: Time for government to intervene

Toronto, November 22, 2024 – The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has sent a letter to the federal government urging it to immediately step in and put an end to the Canada Post strike.

“It’s been a week since the strike started, with no resolution in sight. We hope the parties quickly reach a deal through collective bargaining, but reports say they’re still ‘far apart.’ Our economy and small businesses cannot afford another week of postal disruption,” said Corinne Pohlmann, Executive Vice-President of Advocacy at CFIB. “Small businesses, especially those in rural areas, are already losing on sales and missing payments, and they have to rethink delivery strategies on the eve of the busy holiday season.”

Three quarters (75%) of small businesses said they will be negatively affected by a work stoppage, with nearly eight in 10 still relying on Canada Post to do business.

CFIB has been collecting examples of challenges small business owners are experiencing due to the strike. These include:

• A print shop in B.C. that works with thousands of artists, many of whom are small business owners themselves, is experiencing order cancellations, with customers unable to find alternative shipping solutions.
• A retailer in Manitoba uses Canada Post to ship at least one package a day, and most of their orders from suppliers also come through Canada Post.
• A wholesaler in Ontario that relies on Canada Post to ship coffee says about 90% of their business would be lost as this is their busiest time of year.

Unless the parties immediately negotiate a deal through collective bargaining, CFIB is urging the federal government to enact back-to-work legislation or order binding arbitration so that small businesses can finish the year strong instead of being punished by circumstances outside of their control.

“While we hope for a quick resolution, we encourage Canadians to support and shop at small businesses this holiday season. Small Business Saturday is a week away on November 30 and a great opportunity to explore local businesses. We’ve seen how resilient and innovative small businesses are, and they will do everything in their power to serve their customers despite the current setbacks,” Pohlmann added.

For media enquiries or interviews, please contact: 
Joseph Falzata, CFIB 
647-464-2814 
public.affairs@cfib.ca  

Methodology
Preliminary results for the Flash Survey: Impact of Work Stoppages. The online survey is active since November 13, 2024, number of respondents = 1,461. For comparison purposes, a probability sample with the same number of respondents would have a margin of error of at most +/- 2.6%, 19 times out of 20.

About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 97,000 members across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners’ chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.