The Canada Post strike of 2011 may go down in history as the catalyst that led to the demise of the postal service, or the start of its downhill slide. The effects of the strike by CUPW were certainly not the intended ones when the union first served notice to Canada Post of its intentions to hit the picket lines in its effort to get a contract settlement.
Even with back-to-work legislation, forcing them back to providing postal service to all Canadians, there are going to be long-lasting effects of this strike; either Canada Post is going to change and adapt to reflect the new reality of the world and the Internet, or they will die as an anachronistic institution that no longer serves the purpose it was originally set up to provide.
With a strike, individuals and businesses were forced to look elsewhere to get the service they normally would have gone to Canada Post for.
In other words, people began using the Internet a lot more for things like paying bills, sending and receiving messages, even getting one's news or magazines.
Time was, 20 or 30 years ago, Canadians were heavily dependent on Canada Post for everything from simple letters to getting bills, paying bills or sending payment for other things, receiving one's subscriptions, getting money orders, sending and receiving parcels from friends, family and businesses; the list went on and on for what the postal service provided.
If one breaks down that list and takes a long, hard look at it, nearly everything can be obtained elsewhere, either through the Internet, via e-mail, by phone, or through a company, such as a courier service.
And really, the postal service was established because this was a necessity that Canada needed from its establishment as a Dominion in 1867 through its growth and development as a nation to the modern, energetic young nation she is today. Unfortunately, the days when it was a necessity of life are largely over now, and this strike forced people to use other resources they may not have thought of before.
Even with postal workers back in the office, will people and businesses go back to using them, if they're satisfied with the alternative they found?
Canada Post may well need to redefine itself to serve the computer-electronic age, or else it will simply fade away as a relic of the past.
