USPS to Resume Delivery to Canada on January 6

The United States Postal Service (USPS) temporarily suspended acceptance of mail and packages to Canada on November 29, 2024, due to a strike by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. Delivery from the United States to Canada is scheduled to resume on January 6, 2025.

Employees of Canada Post, Canada’s national postal service, began a strike on November 15, 2024, following unsuccessful contract negotiations between Canada Post and its union, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW). The dispute centered on wages and working conditions.

The strike involved approximately 55,000 workers who were demanding wage adjustments in line with inflation, improved paid sick leave and group benefits, stronger protections against technological changes, paid rest and meal breaks, and improved short-term disability benefits. During the work stoppage, mail and package processing was halted, deliveries were suspended, and a number of post offices were closed.

The labor action disrupted mail and package delivery nationwide, impacting millions of individuals and businesses, including those who relied on the service during the Black Friday shopping period in 2024. The strike also drew criticism for its timing, coinciding with the holiday season and prompting accusations of “canceling Christmas” due to delays in the delivery of holiday cards and gifts.

On November 28, Canada Post temporarily laid off the striking workers, in what CUPW called an intimidation tactic. The following day, Canada Post requested that international postal services suspend all mail destined for Canada, citing its inability to process or deliver incoming mail and packages during the ongoing strike. The USPS promptly announced the suspension of all international deliveries to Canada until further notice.

The strike was suspended on December 17, but the USPS did not immediately resume accepting mail and packages to Canada due to a significant volume of unprocessed and delayed mail, choosing to wait until delivery services in Canada returned to normal or close to normal.

On January 3, 2025, the USPS finally announced that it would resume accepting Canada-bound mail and packages on Monday, January 6, as Canada Post had made significant progress in clearing the backlog. Delivery to Canada will be available to retail and commercial customers, as well as those using online shipping label systems such as PostageMaker.