MEMBERS of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) went on strike on Thursday after the government announced that door-to-door mail delivery would end for nearly all households within the next decade.

Canada Post said the strike would mean mail and parcels not being processed or delivered for the duration of the strike and no new items being accepted.

“Canada Post’s operations will shut down during a national strike, affecting millions of Canadians and businesses across the country,” the management said.

Earlier, Procurement Minister Joel Lightbound announced sweeping changes aimed at shoring up Canada Post’s finances in response to a decline in letter mail and the government corporation’s small share of the parcel market. 

The changes include introducing more community mailboxes and slower delivery times.

The union said it had been caught off guard by the changes and argued that Canada Post and the government were creating the conditions that would further reduce demand for its letter and parcel services.

CUPW said all of its 55,000 Canada Post members were on strike immediately, adding that the corporation had so far not engaged in “real bargaining.”

Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu wrote that it was up to the union and the public-sector corporation to find the balance between the future of postal service and respect for employees.

“Federal mediators remain available to support the bargaining process and I encourage both parties to continue working toward a fair resolution,” she wrote in a statement.

Mr Lightbound said: “For generations, postal workers have connected communities in every corner of the country, providing an essential lifeline to hundreds of northern, indigenous and rural communities,” but the service is facing “an existential crisis” and “repeated bailouts from the federal government are not the solution.”

Ending door-to-door services is expected to increase delivery times for letters from an average of three to four days to three to seven days.