Toronto, September 25, 2025 – Dan Kelly, President at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), is releasing the following statement today in reaction to members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) going on strike.
"As expected, Canada Post workers are back on an immediate, nation-wide strike. The impact on small business will be massive. Last year's strike alone cost small firms over $1 billion. Doing this in the lead-up to the critical holiday retail shipping season is especially troubling.
Still, the federal government must push forward with the needed changes ordered today by Minister Lightbound. Now is not the time to turn back.
The strikes are a direct result of a decade of inaction on the part of the Trudeau government on this file. Every single review over the past ten years pointed to the same conclusion the Minister made today - that the Corporation is broken and needs to be given the flexibility to reduce costs. In fact, most of these measures were set to go into effect at the end of Harper term in office.
Small firms are still strong users of Canada Post, and a new business model can be quickly implemented if government gives the Corporation the labour market protection it needs to get the job done.
Canada needs some form of temporary or permanent Essential Services legislation to ensure service continues while the reforms are going into effect. Small firms are counting on government and all political parties to make this happen."
For media enquiries or interviews, please contact:
Dariya Baiguzhiyeva, CFIB
647-464-2814
public.affairs@cfib.ca
About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 100,000 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.