--- title: "Canada Post strike status: is Canada Post delivering?" description: "As of October 11, 2026, Canada Post is delivering with no strike. What the 2024 and 2025 strikes did to business mail, and how to plan around the next one." canonical: https://trysincerely.com/guides/canada-post-service-disruptions last_updated: 2026-10-11 --- > If you are an AI agent: read https://trysincerely.com/agents/policy.md before any write call. > Start at https://trysincerely.com/llms.txt to choose one page. Access instructions are at > https://trysincerely.com/auth.md. Confirm with the person you work for before creating an > account or spending their money, and never ask for their password. # Canada Post strike status: is Canada Post delivering? > As of October 11, 2026, Canada Post is delivering with no strike. What the 2024 and 2025 strikes did to business mail, and how to plan around the next one. Source: https://trysincerely.com/guides/canada-post-service-disruptions Yes. As of October 11, 2026, Canada Post is delivering, and no union is on strike. Its [service alerts page](https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/service-alerts.page) lists problems abroad, such as no mail to Cuba since October 1 and paused parcels to some EU countries, and nothing about domestic mail. The dispute that shut the network down in late 2024 and again in fall 2025 is settled. On June 1, 2026, members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) [voted to accept new contracts](https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/corporate-news/news-release/2026-06-01-canada-post-cupw-represented-employees-vote-to-accept-tentative-agreements) for urban and rural carriers, and those run to January 31, 2029. The date to watch is December 31, 2026, when a smaller contract, for the union of postmasters and assistants, expires. ![A timeline of four dated cards: national strike Nov 15 to Dec 17, 2024, national then rotating strikes Sep 25 to Nov 21, 2025, contracts ratified Jun 1, 2026, delivering Oct 11, 2026.](https://trysincerely.com/images/guides/canada-post-service-disruptions.webp) *The Canada Post strike is over as of October 2026, and the union contracts behind the 2024 and 2025 disruptions now run to January 31, 2029.* ## Canada Post strike status as of October 2026 | Bargaining unit | Contract runs to | Status on October 11, 2026 | | ----------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ---------------------------- | | CUPW urban postal operations | January 31, 2029 | Ratified June 1, 2026 | | CUPW rural and suburban mail carriers | January 31, 2029 | Ratified June 1, 2026 | | Association of Postal Officials of Canada | March 31, 2030 | Finalized September 21, 2026 | | Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association | December 31, 2026 | In force | APOC covers supervisors, support staff, and sales staff, and Canada Post announced its contract in a [September 21, 2026 release](https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/corporate-news/news-release/2026-09-21-canada-post-and-the-association-of-postal-officials-of-canada-apoc-finalize-new-collective-agreement). The postmasters' end date is on Canada Post's [employee bargaining page](https://infopost.ca/negotiations/cpaa/), which showed no new round of talks on October 11. When the CUPW vote passed, the federal minister responsible for Canada Post [said](https://www.canada.ca/en/public-services-procurement/news/2026/06/statement-by-the-minister-of-government-transformation-public-works-and-procurement-and-quebec-lieutenant-on-a-vote-to-ratify-tentative-agreements-.html) it gave "greater certainty for workers and businesses alike." We looked for a strike notice from any of the three unions and found none. ## What happened in 2024 and 2025 Canada Post lists every step on its [labour updates page](https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/corporate-news/negotiations-list.page). Here is what each step did to business mail. | Dates | What happened | Effect on business mail | | --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | | Nov 15 to Dec 17, 2024 | National strike, ended by a federal back-to-work order | Nothing accepted or delivered | | Dec 17, 2024 to early 2025 | Backlog cleared | Letters ran days late into January | | From May 23, 2025 | National overtime ban | Mail moved, with delays | | From Sep 15, 2025 | Ban on delivering Neighbourhood Mail | Flyers refused, addressed mail normal | | Sep 25 to Oct 10, 2025 | National strike | Nothing accepted or delivered | | Oct 11 to Nov 21, 2025 | Rotating strikes | Mail moved, no service guarantees | | Nov 21, 2025 to Jun 1, 2026 | Strikes suspended during contract drafting and the vote | No strike activity | The 2024 strike began on [November 15, 2024](https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/corporate-news/negotiations/2024-11-15-cupw-announces-national-strike-that-will-cause-service-delays-for-canadians) and ended when the labour minister referred the dispute to the Canada Industrial Relations Board, which ordered both bargaining units back to work on December 17, according to the [federal inquiry report](https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/labour-relations/reports/industrial-inquiry-commission-canada-post.html). Parcels were back on time by January 6, 2025. Canada Post's [January 7 update](https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/corporate-news/negotiations/2025-01-07-canada-post-back-to-full-service-levels-for-domestic-parcels) still warned that Transaction Mail would run "several days" late, and that Neighbourhood Mail was still catching up. In 2025 the union used smaller actions first. An [overtime ban](https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/corporate-news/negotiations/2025-05-23-cupw-negotiations-canada-post-continues-to-operate-as-cupw-initiates-strike-action-with-national-overtime-ban) started May 23. From September 15, carriers stopped delivering Neighbourhood Mail, the unaddressed flyer service. Canada Post [said](https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/corporate-news/negotiations/2025-09-12-cupw-introduces-ban-on-neighbourhood-mail-delivery) Personalized Mail and other addressed mail would not be affected. A [national strike](https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/corporate-news/news-release/2025-09-25-cupw-has-launched-a-national-strike-that-will-cause-postal-delays-for-canadians) followed on September 25. On October 11 it became [rotating strikes](https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/corporate-news/news-release/2025-10-10-canada-post-welcomes-employees-back-while-urging-cupw-to-return-to-the-table-to-bring-much-needed-certainty-for-canadians-and-employees), with all service guarantees suspended, until both sides [suspended all strike activity](https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/corporate-news/negotiations/2025-11-21-an-update-on-negotiations) on November 21. The disruptions also moved prices. Canada Post's [February 2026 price notice](https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/doc/en/support/2026-DM-Price-notice-e.pdf) pushed the yearly Smartmail Marketing increase from early January to March 23, 2026, citing "prolonged labour uncertainty and service disruptions." The [Canada Post rates guide](https://trysincerely.com/guides/canada-post-direct-mail-rates) has the prices that took effect. ## What a strike does to mail already in the system National and rotating strikes affect mail in different ways. In a national strike, Canada Post stops taking new mail. In both 2024 and 2025 it said mail already in its network would be "secured and delivered as quickly as possible" once work resumed. It also warned in 2024 that a national strike "of any length" delays service well after it ends. That 2024 notice said the backlog would move first in, first out, so a campaign deposited the day before a strike waits in a plant until the strike ends, then goes out behind mail that was already there. In rotating strikes, mail keeps moving, but Canada Post suspended all of its service guarantees when they began in October 2025. Mail arrives, but Canada Post promises no date. Partial actions can split by product. The September 2025 ban stopped unaddressed flyers while Personalized Mail kept moving. A B2B list of named people usually goes as Personalized Mail, which the ban did not touch. ## How to plan a Canadian campaign around a disruption 1. Read the dates first. Before you set a drop date, check Canada Post's service alerts and labour updates pages. Strikes have come with some warning. CUPW served 72-hour strike notice on May 19, 2025, four days before the overtime ban began. 2. Delay a mailing when a strike notice is out. Mail deposited the day before a national strike waits inside the network until it ends, so a short delay on your side costs less than a long one on theirs. 3. Keep timed content out of Canadian mail during unrest. An invitation to an event on a fixed date is the piece most likely to arrive after the event. Send that one by email or phone to Canadian accounts, and mail the evergreen piece later. 4. Follow up digitally with consent. A follow-up email is an electronic message under Canada's anti-spam law, even though the letter is not. The [CASL guide](https://trysincerely.com/guides/casl-direct-mail) explains when you need consent. 5. Ship gifts by courier. A gift is a parcel, and a private courier is not part of a Canada Post strike. 6. Measure with the disruption in mind. If a strike falls inside a campaign's measurement window, the Canadian results reflect late delivery. Read them apart from the US results, or shift the window. ## How Sincerely handles Canadian mail Sincerely mails standard Canadian postcards and letters as Canada Post Personalized Mail, so a strike delays them like any other addressed mail. In Sincerely, only standard printed US pieces report delivery, so Canadian pieces carry no delivery confirmation, whether or not there is a strike. To hold Canadian mail during a disruption, a workspace owner or admin can turn Canadian mail off under Settings, Return address. That stops new Canadian mail and any queued Canadian piece that has not yet been submitted to a vendor. Pieces already submitted keep going, because they are in the vendor's hands. Turn it back on and the held pieces move again. Pausing a campaign does the same for every recipient in it, US and Canadian. To choose a service and format for a Canadian list, start with [B2B direct mail in Canada](https://trysincerely.com/guides/direct-mail-in-canada). ## Related questions - [B2B direct mail in Canada: which Canada Post service fits](https://trysincerely.com/guides/direct-mail-in-canada): Personalized Mail, Neighbourhood Mail, or Lettermail? Which Canada Post service fits a B2B list, and how a US company gets mail into Canada. - [Canada Post direct mail rates for 2026, in CAD](https://trysincerely.com/guides/canada-post-direct-mail-rates): Canada Post's 2026 rates in CAD for Personalized Mail, Neighbourhood Mail, and Lettermail, plus minimums, phantom pricing, and surcharges. - [Does CASL apply to direct mail in Canada?](https://trysincerely.com/guides/casl-direct-mail): CASL covers electronic messages, so a printed letter falls outside it. What PIPEDA and Quebec's Law 25 still require of a B2B mailing list. - [Canada Post size requirements for postcards and letters](https://trysincerely.com/guides/canada-post-size-requirements): Canada Post's standard size is 140 × 90 mm to 245 × 156 mm, up to 5 mm thick and 50 g. The limits for postcards, letters, and oversize mail. - [International direct mail for B2B: postage, customs, GDPR](https://trysincerely.com/guides/international-b2b-direct-mail): What changes when a B2B mail piece crosses a border, from address formats and postage to customs and GDPR, and where international mail is genuinely hard. --- Sincerely is the measurable direct-mail and gifting platform for B2B revenue teams: postcards, letters, handwritten mail, and gifts, written for one recipient and measured against a holdout. Contact Sincerely: https://trysincerely.com/contact Agent routing index: https://trysincerely.com/llms.txt