USPS Suspended Delivery to Canada due to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers Strike

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has temporarily suspended all international deliveries to Canada effective November 29, 2024. The service disruption was caused by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers’ national strike, which has been ongoing since November 15.

Employees of Canada Post, Canada’s national postal service, went on strike on November 15, 2024, due to failed contract negotiations over wages and working conditions between Canada Post and its workers’ trade union, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW).

Approximately 55,000 striking postal workers are demanding wage increases to keep pace with inflation, improvements to paid sick leave and group benefits, better protection against technological change, paid rest and meal breaks, and increased short-term disability benefits. During the strike, mail and packages are not processed or delivered and some post offices are closed.

The strike disrupted all mail and parcel delivery services across Canada, affecting millions of individuals and businesses of all sizes and impacting the 2024 Black Friday. Striking workers were even accused of “canceling Christmas” because of the strike taking place during the holiday season and affecting the delivery of Christmas cards and gifts.

On November 28, striking workers were temporarily laid off by Canada Post, in what CUPW called an intimidation tactic. The next day, Canada Post asked other national mail services to stop accepting or sending mail to Canada because it could not process or deliver such mail due to the strike.

As a result, on November 29, 2024, the United States Postal Service notified customers that international mail acceptance to Canada was suspended until further notice. This disruption affected all international services: First-Class Mail International, First-Class Package Mail International Service, Priority Mail International, Priority Mail Express International, International Priority Airmail, International Surface Air Lift, Commercial ePacket, and M-Bag items. According to the USPS, items that have already been received but are stuck in transit due to the suspension of service will be returned to senders, who will be eligible for a full refund.

Is there a way to ship from the United States to Canada during the Canada Post strike? Private carriers (UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc.) are not affected by the strike, so you can use any of them if you have an urgent need to ship a package to Canada and cannot wait for the strike to end. However, keep in mind that there may be delays in delivery due to an increase in package volume caused by the combination of the strike and the holiday shopping season.

As of December 4, the strike is still ongoing and it is uncertain how long it will last. Once it ends, Canada Post will deliver mail and packages on a first-in, first-out basis, but given the backlog of approximately 10 million undelivered items (as of November 27), it will take time for all items to be delivered and for delivery services to return to normal. For now, private carriers are your best bet for getting something delivered to Canada.