Canada Post union switching from countrywide to rotating strikes

OTTAWA — The union representing Canada Post employees says it will switch from a countrywide strike to rotating strikes starting Saturday morning, in a decision that will get mail and parcels moving again.

Rotating strikes will begin at 6 a.m. local time, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers said Thursday evening.

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The announcement came a day after the union met with the federal minister responsible for Canada Post.

The union said it met with Joël Lightbound on Wednesday evening, voicing concerns about recently announced changes to the postal service’s mandate to overhaul its operations.

There will be a followup meeting with the minister’s office next week, it said.

Among the changes are an end of door-to-door mail delivery for nearly all Canadian households within the next decade. As well, the frequency of mail delivery will slow down and some post offices will be shuttered.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers declared the countrywide strike on Sept. 25, hours after the federal government announced its changes.

Canada Post has welcomed the announcement amid its stark financial challenges, while the union called it a government overstep in the bargaining process.

In a bulletin about the meeting with Lightbound, the union said it asked the minister to roll back the changes but that he said they would stand.

A spokesperson for Lightbound said late Thursday that the minister was not immediately available for comment on the move to rotating strikes or his meeting with union representatives.

Canada Post did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the union’s decision, nor did a spokesperson for Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2025.

The Canadian Press