The Liberal government in Ottawa is signalling it's not currently planning to intervene to end the Canada Post strike, even though the two sides appear to be far apart and the strike is hitting at the busiest time of year for the postal service.
Some 55,000 workers hit the picket lines across Canada on Friday, after contract negotiations with their employer blew past the 72-hour strike deadline set by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
"I'm not looking at any other solution other than negotiation right now," Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon told reporters in Montreal Friday morning. "Every day is a new day in collective bargaining and we are going to support the parties in any way we can and try to get a negotiated agreement."
MacKinnon said Ottawa is helping to mediate the collective agreement, but each day brings "a new series of issues" complicating matters.
"I would characterize these negotiations as extremely difficult," he said. "There are many big issues to solve at the table and not a lot of progress has been made on those big issues."
Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said the strike is "really bad timing" for small businesses.
Kelly said this will immediately freeze up business invoices already travelling through the mail system, sending people "scrambling to try to get money."
Santo Ligotti from the Retail Council of Canada said the work stoppage "couldn't come at a worse time" with the retail supply chain really "taking a beating" after the recent rail and port disruptions. Not to mention, Christmas and Black Friday are just around the corner.
Both groups said if the strike doesn't end soon, Ottawa should force it to a close.
That's easier said than done, with a federal election expected to happen by next fall and all the political parties courting organized labour. Plus, Parliament is currently locked in the grips of a privilege debate about the release of government documents, which is blocking legislation from passing.
The two sides met briefly Friday with the mediator but won't get back to the table again until Monday, according to Jan Simpson, the national president for CUPW.
"We want to get a negotiated deal," she said, but added that the cost of living has been hard on workers and that's why the union is fighting for a bigger wage increase.
Godwin Smith, vice-president of the Ottawa local union, was out on the picket lines Friday and said postal workers are prepared to dig in for as long as it takes to reach an agreement.
"We're just on strike for a fair wage, better working conditions, and we're tired of Canada Post coming to the bargaining table and just all the time asking for rollbacks," he said.
"One day they're saying yes, the next day they're saying no. So, we're just taking two steps forward, one step backward for a year now, and we're not getting anywhere."
Canada Post spokesperson Jon Hamilton disputed that characterization and said one look at the union's demands immediately makes clear that it would add heavy costs and create "inflexibility" for the postal service.
"CUPW is in the driver's seat," he said. "They've decided to take a national strike and shut down the postal service at a critical time for charities or fundraising small businesses who count on this time of year to deliver their parcels for Canadians."
Mail and parcels will not be delivered for the duration of the strike and some post offices will remain closed, which will deal a stiff blow to rural communities and mom-and-pop shops across Canada.
Catharine Benzie runs a small e-commerce business reliant on Canada Post in her home in Burlington, Ont., called "Cubing Out Loud" which sells various puzzle games, including Rubik's cube alternatives used in competitive speed competitions.
"It's a big, big problem for us that they've gone on strike," she said, as it sends her to a costlier alternative shipping service. "It's going to be a huge cut into our profits."
Daniel Powder, the mayor of Stony Rapids, Sask., on the east end of Lake Athabasca, said residents in his area rely heavily on the mail for goods and services, including those who don't have bank accounts and receive cheques through the mail.
"Mailing is very, very important to the north," he said. "I am pretty worried about this."
"We're highly dependent on the mail getting things up here for regular commercial-type goods," said Patrick Chopik, CEO of Athabasca Health Authority. He even had to personally hustle Friday to get a package for an ugly sweater Christmas party onto a charter plane, otherwise it wouldn't make it up on time.
Canada Post said shutting down facilities will affect its national network, with processing and delivery of mail possibly needing time to return to normal once the strike is over.
Elections Nova Scotia said it will not send voter information cards in the mail due to the strike. Voters seeking information should instead call the agency or go to its website for information ahead of the Nov. 26 election.
