What to know
- New NDP leader Avi Lewis says Canada Post should be treated like an essential public service, not a profit-making business.
- He argues services like mail delivery shouldn’t be judged by profitability, comparing it to other core public institutions.
- Canada Post reported about $1.3 billion in operating losses in 2024, with over $4.5 billion in losses since 2018.
- The comments have sparked debate online, with Canadians split between defending public service values and calling for modernization or reform.
Canadians are divided after the new leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) said Canada Post needs to be considered a fundamental service, not a profit-generating corporation.
Avi Lewis, the newly elected leader of the federal NDP, is stirring up some controversy after calling for Canada Post to be recognized as a fundamental public service.
“We have shoved Canada Post so far into the market mindset that every few months, we have a national conversation about ‘Why isn’t Canada Post making money?’ Does the ambulance service make money? Do the police services make money?” Lewis questioned during a conversation with CTV Power Play’s Vassy Kapelos.
“We’re talking about a fundamental public service, and we are so soaked in the market mindset that we expect the post office to make money. It’s a public service, it’s not for making money, it’s for delivering mail to Canadians, as part of a fundamental public activity,” Lewis continued.
“That is the mindset change that we need to make public corporations work.”
Canada Post: 2024 losses
Lewis’ comments come at a time when Canadians are highly critical of the ways their tax dollars are being spent, including on public services.
Canada Post’s 2024 annual report reveals spending of roughly $10 million per day on labour alone, with labour making up nearly two-thirds of total costs. The report reveals that as of 2024, the postal service recorded seven consecutive years of significant losses, with the service putting this down to rapid changes in the postal and parcel delivery sectors, along with outdated operating, regulatory and policy parameters.
The federal postal service recorded a loss from operations of nearly $1.3 billion in 2024, and since 2018, cumulative losses from operations have exceeded $4.5 billion. The service reported an overall loss of $841 million before tax in 2024, which is an increase of $93 million in losses compared to 2023. From 2018 to 2024, Canada Post lost over $3.8 billion before taxes.
Is Canada Post a fundamental service? Canadians are divided
Lewis’ opinion has stirred up some conversation online. Many people have agreed with him, sharing that the post office’s goal should not be generating revenue.
“I think Avi Lewis is making a good point here,” one X user shared. “As with the privatization of other public services, Canada Post has cannibalized itself by gradually selling or contracting out the parts that make money and keeping the expensive stuff.”
“YES!!!!!! Well said [Lewis], finally someone talking sense,” another person commented.
“Like well-paying jobs with good pensions providing a vital service have little value – utter nonsense.”
While others disagree with Lewis’ take, saying that the postal service is becoming outdated.
“Mail delivery is becoming similar to the milkman. It’s nice to have, but it’s becoming unnecessary,” one person shared on X.
“Canada Post is not a fundamental public service. I often go for a month before checking my mailbox. And then it’s mostly full of flyers and non-essential mail. I can get everything online, and there are plenty of other, more efficient, cheaper package delivery options,” another X user shared.
Others believe that while the service shouldn’t be required to generate profits, it should be self-sustaining.
“Canada Post doesn’t have to be profitable, but it does have to be financially sustainable. Its losses have grown so large in recent years that the federal government will eventually have to choose between restructuring, subsidizing, or redefining its mandate,” one person posted to X.
“Yes, we need Canada Post, but not at any cost. He would sound more approachable if he said CP needs to be sustainable.”
