Overview
- Testifying before a House committee, Joël Lightbound reaffirmed a 45-day deadline for Canada Post to deliver a right-sizing plan, with the action plan due in early November.
- The policy shift lifts moratoriums on expanding community mailboxes and on closing rural post offices, and relaxes letter delivery standards to prioritize parcel service.
- Lightbound said the measures could save about $500 million annually, as Canada Post reports roughly $10 million in daily losses after $5 billion in deficits since 2018 and a $1‑billion loan this year.
- He stressed that rural, remote and Indigenous delivery must be preserved, and noted personalized delivery options for seniors and people with mobility issues.
- The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is staging a national rotating strike, contests the financial claims, alleges government interference in bargaining, and will appear before the operations and estimates committee next week.