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CV NEWS FEED // The ongoing Canada Post strike is having a devastating impact on small- and medium-sized Canadian businesses, costing them an estimated $76.6 million per day during the critical holiday shopping season, according to Global News.
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) temporarily suspended international mail acceptance to Canada due to a prolonged national strike by more than 55,000 members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), Newsweek reported Dec. 2.
Canada Post cannot process or deliver international mail during this disruption, and USPS advised customers to refrain from mailing items addressed to Canada until further notice.
According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), Canadian small businesses have already lost approximately $765 million in earnings since the strike began 17 days ago. If the labor disruption continues, the total losses could exceed $1 billion by Dec. 4.
CFIB executive vice-president Corinne Pohlmann has called on the federal government to take action, either via enforced binding arbitration or back-to-work legislation to resolve the strike.
“It’s not Grinch who is about to steal Christmas,” Pohlmann said. “It’s Ottawa sitting idly on the sidelines while small businesses are losing crucial revenue and sales due to circumstances outside of their control.”
The CUPW’s strike, which began on Nov. 15, has significantly disrupted mail services across Canada and has been prompted by stalled negotiations regarding wages, safety, and job security.
Small businesses have already missed key sales opportunities over Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. The strike has also contributed to a decline in online shopping activity, with reports indicating a 6% drop in sales compared with last year.
According to Pohlmann, unless the strike is resolved this week, Canada Post will likely be unable to participate in the holiday season due to the backlog it will need to address before it can accept new business.
Newsweek reported that in response to the strike, Canada Post has presented a framework to the CUPW aimed at advancing negotiations. Specific details have not been disclosed.
