CUPW calls on Canada Post to halt door-to-door delivery cuts

Following the Liberal Party’s victory in the national elections, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has today (21 October) called for an “immediate halt” to the door-to-door delivery cuts that Canada Post has scheduled in the coming weeks. In a statement issued today, Mike Palecek, national president of the CUPW, said: “The postal cuts were driven by the Conservatives. Now they are no longer in power, it’s time to hit the brakes.”

Several neighbourhood conversions  from home door deliveries to the new group mailboxes were scheduled for the day of the election – Monday, 19 October – and more are slated for November.

The union said that was concerned that Canada Post will “forge ahead” with its plan prior to the Liberal majority government taking the reins.

“We need to stop the cuts before more jobs are lost, before more damage is done to property and before more people lose this service,” said Palecek.

The Liberals campaigned on an election promise to stop the cuts to home mail delivery and hold a review of Canada Post (although they were not quite so demonstrative on the issue as the more left-leaning New Democratic Party).

“Many seniors, people with disabilities and others voted for the Liberals because they promised to stop the cuts to door-to-door delivery,” claimed Palecek. “It would be wrong for Canada Post to continue down this road now that the Liberals have been elected and the people have clearly spoken on this issue.”

The Liberal Party – headed by Justin Trudeau, the 43-year-old son of the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau – started the election campaign in third place but finished clear winners. In the 2011 election, the Conservatives won 166 seats, the New Democrats 103 and the Liberals 34. In 2015 (and in a parliament with 30 more seats), the Liberals won 184, the Conservatives 99 and the New Democrats were squeezed down to 44. The Bloc Quebecois and the Greens also increased their representation.