The federal government is ordering Canada Post to resume services, with employees potentially heading back to work on Monday, as both parties are moving in the “wrong direction.”

As Canada Post and union workers “reach an impasse” nearly one month into the postal strike, Canada’s Minister of Labour Steve MacKinnon is proposing that postal service resume starting on Monday, depending on if the Canada Industrial Relations Board also agrees that Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), the union representing nearly 55,000 postal workers, have reached an impasse.

“I have asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board—if they also determine there’s an impasse—to order Canada Post and employees of the CUPW to resume their operations and duties, and to extend terms of the existing collective agreement until May 22, 2025,” Mackinnon said in a press conference Friday morning.   

The proposal to resume services could mean that union workers could return to their jobs  on Monday, Dec. 16, under the same agreement as prior to the strike. 

MacKinnon says Canadians are “rightly fed up,” and adds that during the strike nearly one million parcels a day are not being processed by Canada Post, affecting small to medium-sized businesses in particular. 

“The economic harm they suffer increases each passing day,” he said. 

Charities are also feeling the impact, who rely on donations around the holiday time as a main source of revenue each year, as well as rural and remote parts of Canada, which have limited access to delivery services in regular times and often rely on Canada Post as a sole postal service. 

Indigenous communities located in northern and remote regions are also feeling the affect, says Mackinnon, “Indigenous communities in the north that already have significant challenges related to access and infrastructure, are particularly affected by the strike… the strike worsens existing challenges for Indigenous peoples making it even harder for them to access goods and services they rely on.” 

He adds that approximately 190,000 passports are still waiting to be shipped, as the strike impacts government services as well. 

“I am making this decision to protect the interests of all Canadians, it is not a decision I take lightly, but in this situation, it is the right one,” Mackinnon said. 

Following the government announcement, the CUPW released a statement saying that it denounces the government’s intervention.

“The Union denounces in the strongest terms this assault on our constitutionally protected right to collectively bargain and to strike,” the statement said. “This order continues a deeply troubling pattern in which the government uses its arbitrary powers to let employers off the hook, drag their feet, and refuse to bargain in good faith with workers and their unions.” 

The CUPW adds that it is currently reviewing the order and considering its options moving forward.

The CUPW adds that it is currently reviewing the order and considering its options moving forward.

Canada Post also released a statement, saying that it’s reviewing the details of the announcement and is prepared to “fully participate in the process and comply with the Minister’s directive.”

 “While that unfolds, we look forward to welcoming our employees back to work and serving Canadians and customers,” the statement said. “We will take all appropriate steps to support that process as quickly as possible given the direction provided to us by the Minister.”

The Crown corporations said it will be finalizing start-up plans which will include more details in the future.  

Canada Post workers first hit the picket lines on Nov. 15. 

This is a breaking story. More to come.