How do you solve a problem like Canada Post? Even Ottawa isn’t sure
Global News
'Something's got to happen and it's got to happen quick,' one expert warned as the clock ticks amid continued steep financial losses for Canada Post.
Shortly after Canada Post’s top executives warned of “unsustainable” finances and the need for “significant changes” to survive, the federal government has little to say about what solutions are necessary.
Board chair André Hudon told the Crown corporation’s annual general meeting Wednesday that the national mail carrier is at a “critical juncture” as it struggles to compete against e-commerce platforms like Amazon and faces dropping demand.
The company has also noted that the ministry overseeing Canada Post has not approved a corporate plan since 2020, and has yet to sign off on a submitted plan that would take the organization into 2028.
But concerns about what a reimagined Canada Post could look like tend to centre around either the hundreds of millions it would cost taxpayers to cover its fiscal gaps in the form of more government funding, or the service cuts that could be needed to cut budget strain — and how to ensure all Canadians can keep receiving mail.
Asked about those concerns Thursday, a spokesperson for Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos’s office told Global News the government will “continue to work closely with Canada Post to secure its long-term future.”
“As announced in Budget 2024, the government is also considering how to leverage Canada Post’s portfolio of federal properties to build more housing for Canadians,” his office said in a statement. “We will ensure postal service is maintained as part of Canada Post’s mandate as a ‘service first’ organization focused on delivering the mail.”
The statement provided no details on how that will be achieved. And both opposition politicians and analysts warn time is running out.
Global News reached out to both the Conservatives and NDP asking for their views on what needs to be done to adapt the postal service. The Conservatives did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
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