Tens of thousands of passports are stuck waiting to be mailed as a nationwide Canada Post strike continues.
Employment and Social Development Canada told Global News that as of Tuesday, approximately 85,000 passports that were printed and ready to be mailed are being held by Service Canada.
“In anticipation of a potential labour disruption, Service Canada put a temporary hold on mailing out passport packages after November 8, 2024,” Maja Stefanovska, an ESDC spokesperson, said.
“By holding residential mail several days in advance of a work stoppage, Service Canada has reduced the risk of having any passports held in Canada Post distribution centres.”
Passports will be mailed out once the strike ends and regular mail service resumes.
More than 55,000 Canada Post workers went on strike Friday, halting mail and parcel services across the country. Some post offices have also been shuttered amid the job action.
The Crown corporation and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers are holding talks this week with a special mediator, appointed by the federal government.
A Canada Post spokesperson told The Canadian Press on Tuesday that the two sides were able to make “some progress” on smaller issues, but “there’s still a lot of ground to cover.”
The union is calling for a cumulative wage hike of 24 per cent over four years, while Canada Post has offered an 11.5 per cent increase.
Other sticking points include job security, benefits and contract work for parcel delivery on weekends.
The postal strike, now its seventh day, is negatively impacting small businesses, charities and remote communities, Canada Post says.
Service Canada has warned that mail correspondence from some programs and services may be impacted due to the Canada Post strike. This includes the passport program, employment insurance benefits, apprenticeship grants and social insurance numbers sent via mail.
“Canadians who have applied for a new passport and chose to get it by mail will have it sent to them as soon as mail service resumes,” Service Canada says on its website
Those who are in urgent need of their passport can contact the Passport Program at 1-800-567-6868 or visit a Service Canada centre and request to have their passport transferred to a location that offers pickup service.
“Canadians who will be travelling in the next 6 weeks should apply for their passport as early as possible at a Service Canada point of service that offers 10-business day service to avoid any delays by mail,” Service Canada says.
Anyone travelling after more than six weeks can submit their application by courier or in person at a Service Canada location offering 20 business-day service.
“If a client mailed their passport application just prior to the start of the Canada Post labour dispute, it’s possible that Service Canada has not received the application,” ESDC’s Stefanovska said.
“In these cases, we will not be able to process the application until mail service resumes.”
— with files from The Canadian Press