Canadians support reduced mail delivery, hiring of non-union ‘gig’ mail delivery workers
June 18, 2025 – Labour strife has become the norm in the relationship between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers over the past several years, evidenced by rotating strikes in 2018, a nationwide strike last November, and the ongoing conflict, which awaits a union vote.
With the future of the crown corporation in question, Canadians are open to changes to its operations and are more willing to subsidize future losses than they are to want Canada Post to be privatized.
New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds Canadians opposed to the government selling off Canada Post by more than a two-to-one margin (59% oppose to 26% support). They also lean toward opposition when it comes to privatizing the crown corporation in part (47% to 38%).
Instead, two-thirds (64%) of Canadians say it is important to them that Canada Post remain publicly owned.
That said, Canadians are open to changes in the way the institution operates. Seven-in-10 (72%) would reduce mail delivery to three days a week. Fully half (52%) say Canada Post should be allowed to utilize non-union gig workers to deliver mail and parcels if it improves cost and service quality, while seven-in-10 (72%) say Canada Post branching out into other services like banking and parcel lockers is something they would support.
Part of Canada Post’s recent challenges include a changing competitive environment where the largest online retailer, Amazon, also delivers parcels itself. However, Canada Post still plays an important role in the online retail environment. Case in point, nearly half of Canadians (46%) overall say Canada Post is “important” or “very important” to them in receiving their mail. But it is Canadians under 35 who are more likely than older ones to say they rely on Canada Post regularly for mail, perhaps due to that age group’s elevated reliance on online shopping.
Considering the corporation’s recent losses amounting to on average $800 million annually in the last two years, Canadians are more than twice as likely to say it is “worth it” to pay the approximate $20 per person to maintain Canada Post at this current deficit.
While the leeway from Canadians is likely appreciated by Canada Post, the corporation would undoubtedly prefer to become more self-sufficient, if not profitable. Complaints from Canada Post have noted outdated regulatory structures constraining its ability to compete, and the Great Mail Decline reducing its revenue.
More Key Findings:
- Nearing half of Canadians say Canada Post is important to them personally and they regularly receive mail. There is a 10-point gap, however, between urban (45%) and rural (55%) respondents.
- While Canadians are supportive of adding non-union workers if needed, they are largely opposed (66%) to cutting worker benefits for union members in efforts to reduce cost. One-quarter (23%) would support this.
About ARI
The Angus Reid Institute (ARI) was founded in October 2014 by pollster and sociologist, Dr. Angus Reid. ARI is a national, not-for-profit, non-partisan public opinion research foundation established to advance education by commissioning, conducting and disseminating to the public accessible and impartial statistical data, research and policy analysis on economics, political science, philanthropy, public administration, domestic and international affairs and other socio-economic issues of importance to Canada and its world.
INDEX
Part One: How important is Canada Post to Canadians?
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Half say they rarely, or never, receive mail
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Rural Canadians more likely to say they rely on Canada Post
Part Two: The future of Canada Post
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Half support hiring “gig” workers to deliver mail
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Canadians open to reducing frequency of delivery
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Most oppose privatizing Canada Post
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Majority of Canadians say future subsidies “worth it”
Part One: How important is Canada Post to Canadians?
Half say they rarely, or never, receive mail
Canada Post, the Crown corporation responsible for mail delivery in the country, is in trouble. It reported $841-million worth of losses before taxes last year, bringing the total Canada Post has lost to $3.8 billion since 2018. It last turned a profit in 2017.
While the financial statements are filled with red ink, it has also been mired in labour strife with its workers. Postal workers previously went on strike for 32 days during the busy holiday season in November and December, only returning to work after the federal government intervened, extending the current agreement to May 2025.
The intermission did little to solve the impasse between Canada Post, who are looking to expand the work force to include part time workers in efforts to reduce the costs of seven-day delivery and the postal workers, who are looking for improvements to their pay, benefits and pensions.
To end the standoff, Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu called for postal workers to vote on Canada Post’s latest offer.
The value of Canada Post to Canadians varies. Though they’re slightly more likely to say Canada Post is not important to them (51%), more than two-in-five (46%) say they rely on Canada Post, including a majority of Canadians under 35. A 2022 survey commissioned by the federal government on Canada Post found that while younger Canadians were unlikely to send letters or cards in the mail, they were more likely to order parcels than others, and they had increased their use of Canada Post in the wake of the pandemic.
Previous Angus Reid Institute research during the holiday season postal worker strike also found that Canadians aged 25 to 44 were more likely than others to report having mail delayed.
Rural Canadians more likely to say they rely on Canada Post
One of Canada Post’s mandates is to provide universal postal service – that is – mail delivery to all Canadians. It is perhaps no surprise then that rural residents are more likely to say they rely on Canada Post, as those are areas of the country that are less likely to be serviced by other businesses.
Three-in-five (62%) in Quebec say Canada Post is not important to them, the most of any province in the country. Notably, in January, a Quebec law firm launched a class action suit against Canada Post alleging the corporation sold residents’ personal info.
Part Two: The future of Canada Post
Half support hiring “gig” workers to deliver mail
After the December strike was ended by the federal government, a report into the labour dispute was commissioned by the government to analyze the dispute between the union and the corporation as well as the financial struggles Canada Post has faced in recent years. The report’s recommendations included allowing Canada Post to hire part-time employees to deliver on weekends. Currently, weekend delivery for Canada Post is rare and is handled by full-time employees who are paid overtime. The union has resisted the use of part-time workers, saying it amounts to “gig” work. Canada Post has looked to compete against Amazon, which primarily uses gig workers.
The offer union members are voting on includes the introduction of part-time workers to handle weekend delivery, but with similar pay and benefits as full-time employees. The union is recommending members vote ‘no’ on the offer.
Canadians are supportive of going even further – allowing non-union temporary workers to deliver mail. Half (52%) support this while two-in-five (38%) are opposed.
Canadians open to reducing frequency of delivery
The commission report mentioned above also recommended ending door-to-door delivery. While Canadians are opposed to going that far, most are supportive of reducing the frequency of door-to-door delivery, or the number of days mail is delivered entirely. Two-thirds (65%) support reducing door-to-door delivery, while approaching three-quarters (72%) support mail delivery occurring only thrice weekly.
Most oppose privatizing Canada Post
As Canada Post has struggled, there have been calls for the crown corporation to be privatized. Just one-quarter (26%) of Canadians support the full privatization of Canada Post, while two-in-five (38%) are open to parts of the crown corporation being sold. Instead, Canadians are more supportive in Canada Post diversifying into other areas – banking, parcel lockers – to generate revenue:
Indeed, nearly two-thirds (64%) of Canadians say it’s “important” to them that Canada Post remains a publicly owned service. Younger Canadians are more likely to say this than older ones:
Recent Conservative voters are more likely to say it’s not important to them that Canada Post remains public, but only by a six-point margin. Other political party supporters are more likely to say they personally want Canada Post to remain a crown corporation:
Majority of Canadians say future subsidies “worth it”
The last two years have resulted in losses averaging about $800 million. Canada Post is supposed to be self sustainable, but in January required a $1-billion loan from the federal government.
If the $800 million in annual losses over the past two years were paid by taxpayers as a permanent subsidy, it would cost about $20 per Canadian citizen. Canadians were asked hypothetically if they had to pay $20 per year to maintain universal postal service if it would be worth it to them. By a margin of more than two-to-one, Canadians say, yes, that would be worth it.
While those who voted Conservative in April are more likely than other past voters to say $20 per person per year would be “not worth it”, two-in-five (42%) support a $20-per-year levy to maintain universal postal service. Recent Liberal (64%) and NDP (73%) voters believe at a majority level universal postal service is worth a $20-per-year charge:
Overwhelming majorities of those who say Canada Post is “important” (77%) or “very important” to them believe a $20 per year per person subsidy is worth it to them. But half (50%) of those who say they rarely get mail also agree that it would be “worth it” to pay $20 per year per person to maintain Canada Post’s services. A majority (59%) of those who say they never get mail believe that cost wouldn’t be worth it:
Survey Methodology:
The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from June 2 – 8, 2025, among a randomized sample of 4,067 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide according to region, gender, age, household income, and education, based on the Canadian census. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 1.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI.
For detailed results by age, gender, region, education, and other demographics, click here.
For PDF of full release, click here.
For the questionnaire, click here.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Shachi Kurl, President: 604.908.1693 shachi.kurl@angusreid.org @shachikurl
Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 dave.korzinski@angusreid.org
Jon Roe, Research Associate: 825.437.1147 jon.roe@angusreid.org
