Canada Post remains a core carrier for many Québec sellers, but two stoppages within about a year, from November to December 2024 and from September to November 2025, showed what relying on a single carrier can cost. A backup plan is simply a second way to deliver, set up and tested before you need it, plus a rule for when to switch.
The short version
- Two postal stoppages (late 2024 and fall 2025) delayed parcels and, for a time, stopped businesses from sending new commercial shipments.
- Agreements ratified in June 2026 run until January 31, 2029. That lowers the near-term labour risk, not the lesson about relying on one carrier.
- Start with local orders. They are the easiest to move to a local courier.
- Set the backup up before you need it: a test account, a trial batch, a switch rule and customer messages in both languages.
- Keep it in proportion. Canada Post can still be the right carrier for many shipments, and a backup is insurance, not a replacement.
What happened, and what it means now
Canada Post operations were disrupted twice in about a year. The dates below come from Canada Post's own announcements unless noted.
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 15 to Dec 17, 2024 | A countrywide strike. Operations began resuming at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, December 17 after a ruling by the Canada Industrial Relations Board. Canada Post said it would not receive or pick up new product until Thursday, December 19. | Canada Post, Dec 16, 2024. Start date: Wikipedia timeline. |
| Sep 25, 2025 | The union launched a countrywide strike. | Canada Post, Oct 10, 2025 |
| Oct 11, 2025 | Rotating strikes began at 6 a.m. local time. Canada Post said all service guarantees were suspended and that new commercial volumes would not be accepted into the network until Wednesday, October 15. | Canada Post, Oct 10, 2025 |
| Nov 21, 2025 | Tentative agreements were reached and the rotating strike was suspended. | Wikipedia timeline |
| Jun 1, 2026 | Canada Post announced that union members had voted to accept the tentative agreements. The new agreements run until January 31, 2029. | Canada Post, Jun 1, 2026 |
With the new agreements in force until January 31, 2029, the immediate labour risk is lower. But labour peace does not remove every single-carrier risk. Bad weather, a system outage, a peak-season backlog or a change to a service can have a similar effect on a shop that ships through only one carrier.
What a stoppage does to a small seller
- Orders sit unshipped, or stuck in the network, with no firm delivery date.
- Customer-service volume rises as customers ask where their order is.
- Cancellations and refunds follow. In Québec, a customer can cancel a distance purchase if the agreed delivery date is missed, so the consumer rules are worth knowing.
- Cash flow slows when orders cannot be delivered and paid for.
- During the rotating strikes Canada Post suspended its service guarantees, so a promised date was no longer backed by the carrier.
Which orders to move first
Not every order needs a backup carrier. Sort them by where they are going.
| Order type | Easiest backup | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Same city or region as your shop | A local courier | A local courier can offer tighter windows and same-day delivery within the areas it serves. |
| Elsewhere in Québec | A local courier with routes there, or a regional carrier | Check coverage. recourier.ca currently runs routes in 12 Québec cities, listed on the coverage page. |
| Rest of Canada | Another national carrier | A local courier does not cover this. Another national parcel carrier does. |
| International | A carrier with an international service | Needs its own customs and paperwork set-up. |
A local courier or a second national carrier?
| Question | Local courier | Second national carrier |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Local and regional orders with tight windows | Orders going across the country |
| Speed | Same-day or next-day is possible within the areas served | Depends on the service level you buy |
| Customer language | Can offer notifications in French and English, if the courier does | Check the language options |
| Typical set-up | A daily list, a CSV or an order feed | An account, shipping labels and a pickup schedule |
| Limits | Only covers the areas it serves | Wider reach, usually wider delivery windows |
Many sellers end up with both: a national carrier such as Purolator, UPS, FedEx or DHL for the orders that travel far, and a local courier for the region where most customers live.
How to set up a backup before you need it
- Pick the orders to coverStart with the local and regional orders. They are the easiest to move and are often the majority.
- Open the account and run a trial batchSend a small batch through the backup in a normal week. You learn about pickup times, cutoffs, labels and tracking when nothing is at stake.
- Decide how orders reach the courierA daily list, a CSV or an order feed. recourier.ca takes orders through an API, a CSV or a webhook feed, as described on the platform page.
- Write the switch ruleDecide in advance what triggers a switch: an announced stoppage, for example, or delayed parcels rising above a limit you set. A rule written in a calm week beats a decision made in a crisis.
- Prepare the customer messagesDraft short notices in French and English about a changed carrier or a delay. Bilingual delivery notifications covers the wording.
- Review it every quarterCheck that the account still works, the contact is current and the coverage still matches where your customers are.
What to ask a local courier about being your backup
- How quickly can my orders start moving once I decide to switch?
- Which cities and postal codes do you serve, and what is the cutoff for each?
- How do orders reach you: a list, a CSV or an API?
- Does each order get its own tracking link, in French and English?
- What proof of delivery do I get?
- Is there a minimum, and can you take overflow when my usual carrier is slow?
Seven questions to ask before choosing a courier goes deeper, and how courier delivery is priced explains what to expect in a quote.
Keep it in proportion
A backup plan is insurance, not a verdict on any carrier. Canada Post reaches addresses that other carriers may not, and for many national shipments it remains a sensible choice. The aim is not to leave a carrier. It is to make sure that one carrier's bad month does not become your bad month.
Sources
- Postal operations to resume on Tuesday, December 17 following CIRB ruling (December 16, 2024) — Canada Post
- Customers should expect delays as CUPW moves to rotating strikes (October 10, 2025) — Canada Post
- Canada Post and CUPW-represented employees vote to accept tentative agreements (June 1, 2026) — Canada Post
- 2024–2025 Canada Post labour dispute — Wikipedia, used only for the November 15, 2024 and November 21, 2025 dates
Frequently asked questions
What are the alternatives to Canada Post for a Québec business?
Other national parcel carriers, regional carriers and local couriers. Local couriers such as recourier.ca suit local and regional orders. National carriers suit orders going across the country.
Is a backup carrier worth it for a small online shop?
If a week-long interruption would hurt your sales or your reputation, yes. A backup costs little to set up in a calm week and a lot to improvise in a crisis.
Which orders should I move to a backup first?
Local and regional ones. They are the easiest to move, and they are often most of the volume.
Can recourier.ca act as a backup for my deliveries?
recourier.ca delivers within its current routes in Québec, with tracking links, bilingual notifications and photo confirmation. Tell us your delivery areas and volume and we will confirm what is possible.
Is Canada Post still disrupted?
As of Canada Post's June 1, 2026 announcement, the union members had voted to accept new agreements that run until January 31, 2029. Check Canada Post's own service updates for the current situation.
Tell us where most of your customers are and roughly how many orders you ship a day, and we will tell you whether a local backup route would work for you.