Canada Post CEO promises 'strategic pricing' to win back businesses
Doug Ettinger told Parliament the Crown corporation will introduce new services and pricing after labour disruptions pushed small businesses to private couriers.
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Canada Post will introduce "strategic pricing" to rebuild trust with small businesses after two years of labour disruptions, CEO Doug Ettinger told a House of Commons committee June 18.
"I want to apologize to Canadians, I want to apologize to small businesses for the tough time over the last two years," Ettinger said. "They took it hard and we owe them and we need to earn back their trust."
Hundreds of days of strikes left small businesses pivoting to private companies for parcel deliveries. Ettinger pointed to collective agreements signed with the urban and rural units of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) for creating the stability needed to rebuild. Those agreements were signed after two years of bargaining and several weeks of nationwide strikes and will last five years.
Canada Post is planning "innovations" that include strategic pricing and an online marketplace with low fees and low costs for small businesses. The corporation is also planning a home pick-up service for parcel returns.
"We want to partner with small business. That's our sweet spot," Ettinger said. The company expects to announce more details this fall.
Canada Post has struggled financially for years, running a $1.57 billion deficit in 2025 and posting a $205 million loss before tax in the first quarter of 2026. The corporation is currently restructuring, ending door-to-door delivery in favour of community mailboxes and cutting its management and executive cadre. Ettinger said up to 30,000 workers would be eligible for retirement in the next 10 years and that Canada Post would "leverage attrition" to reduce its workforce. The corporation's "north star" is to "break even over the next five years," he added.