Canada Post CEO planning 'strategic pricing' to rebuild trust with small businesses

Canada Post President and CEO Doug Ettinger, middle, attends a House of Commons committee meeting on Government Operations and Estimates on Parliament Hill on June 18. Photo by Blair Gable /Postmedia

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“I want to apologize to Canadians, I want to apologize to small businesses for the tough time over the last two years,” Ettinger said at committee meeting on June 18.

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“They took it hard and we owe them and we need to earn back their their trust,” Ettinger added.

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Ettinger told the committee that Canada Post was planning to introduce “strategic pricing” to boost the corporation’s parcel business and to bring back customers that had left during the labour disruptions.

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“We’re going to go out there and try to retain customers that left us during the labor disruption period, get them back with better service,” Ettinger said.

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Ettinger pointed to collective agreements signed with the urban and rural units of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) for creating the stability needed to rebuild trust with small businesses.

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Those collective agreements were signed after two years of bargaining and several weeks of nationwide strikes.

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The agreements will last for five years and include concessions around part-time work on weekends, which had been contentious during bargaining.

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Now Canada Post is pondering “innovations” that include strategic pricing and an online marketplace with low fees and low costs for small businesses. It is also planning a home pick-up service for parcel returns.

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“We want to partner with small business. That’s our sweet spot,” Ettiger said.

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Ettinger also said that “a lot of announcements” were expected this fall and that “real customer innovations” were going to make it easier for small businesses to work with Canada Post again.

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The corporation has struggled financially for years, including running a $1.57-billion deficit in 2025.

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In the first quarter of 2026, it posted a $205-million loss before tax.

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Canada Post is currently in a period of flux and restructuring, opting for an end of door-to-door delivery in favour of community mailboxes and cuts to its management and executive cadre, among other changes.

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Its labour force is also set for renewal, with Ettinger telling the Commons committee that up to 30,000 workers would be eligible for retirement in the next 10 years.

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He said Canada Post would “leverage attrition” during that period to reduce its workforce.

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Ettinger added that Canada Post’s “north star” would be to “break even over the next five years.”

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