Canada Post workers in Montreal disrupted a speech by the federal Minister of Industry this morning. She was speaking at 8:30 a.m. at a closed event reserved for Montreal's economic elite. Attendees had to pay $130 per person to hear her speech, which lasted less than an hour. She presented her “industrial vision for Canada” and explained “how [private] companies can take advantage of public policies.”
“We came to the Queen Elizabeth Hotel because Mélanie Joly was speaking to the Montreal Chamber of Commerce. Unfortunately, we couldn't get in because we didn't know you needed tickets,” said Pat Bélisle, director of the organizing and information committee of the Montreal branch of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW).
The postal workers arrived around 9 a.m. with the intention of questioning the minister about her ties to Intelcom/Dragonfly. Her brother, Jean-Sébastien Joly, is the CEO and shareholder of the company. For CUPW union members, this is a clear conflict of interest: while the government is considering reducing Canada Post services, these cuts would directly benefit private companies such as Intelcom/Dragonfly, they say.
At the time of writing, L'Étoile du Nord's request for an interview has been ignored by the minister's team.
Postal workers take action against Joly
Upon arriving at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, the postal workers put on their uniforms, took a few photos, and entered the luxurious hotel where the speech was being held. Their presence quickly attracted attention.
Near the room where the event was taking place, a receptionist shouted, “There's a protest!” Security guards immediately blocked the door leading to the lobby and began frantically communicating with each other.
Large windows separated the postal workers from the luxurious room, allowing the participants in suits to observe the scene as the workers pressed their banner against the glass.
After a few minutes of discussion with security, the Canada Post employees decided to go outside to be more visible. They remained in front of the hotel for nearly an hour, hoping to catch a glimpse of the minister. However, she had slipped out discreetly through another exit.
“We felt that this small intervention had had an impact,” explains François Kirsch, a postal worker who was present at the action. “We sensed a feverish atmosphere inside. The police had also been called because of our presence here.” In fact, a dozen police officers were called and arrived late, when the workers had already left. “We also heard citizens supporting us, honking their horns, and shouting messages of support.”
At the same time, in Ahuntsic–Cartierville, other postal workers went to Mélanie Joly's constituency office. The group of about 25 postal workers tried to talk to her team, but were unable to meet with anyone.
They then put up “Don't touch my post office” stickers and displayed a sign calling for the nationalization of parcel delivery.
Downtown, Kirsch said Canada Post should really belong to the people. "We want this Crown corporation to thrive. We want it to benefit the public. And above all, we want the billions of dollars generated by parcel delivery in Canada to go back into the pockets of Canadian taxpayers. "
But “while our Crown corporation, Canada Post, is sinking into madness and experiencing an unprecedented existential crisis, the money that could be generated for Canadian taxpayers by doing business with Canada Post is being diverted to private companies.”
“Canada Post has had the exclusive privilege of delivering letters in Canada for decades,” he points out. “If we did the same for parcels, we believe it could pull Canada Post out of its financial crisis, as the media and the government are saying.”
A conflict far from over
Kirsch and Bélisle hope that Joly has been made aware of their action. However, she is certainly familiar with the issue, says Bélisle, "because the Liberal government is complicit in what is happening, in the frontal attack we are currently undergoing. We have long suffered the arrogance of the employers, but now their accomplice, the Liberal government, is taking over. "
He adds: “Negotiations are supposed to continue, but we only received a ridiculous offer from Canada Post at the end of last week. It's the same as the last offer, with a meager 0.6% increase, while removing job security, signing bonuses, etc.”
“We're at the same deadlock, except that the dice are even more loaded than they were at the start of this conflict,” he concludes.