Canadians should expect to see postal service resume early this week after the House of Commons and the Senate passed legislation forcing an end to Canada Post’s lockout of its nearly 50,000 employees.
MPs voted 158-113 in favour of the legislation, while senators voted 53-26 to pass the legislation. All that remains is to receive royal assent from Governor General David Johnston.
Canada Post officials said before the legislation passed that if it received royal assent on Sunday — which makes it a law — mail sorting could begin on Monday. This would mean Canadians’ could start getting their mail again on Tuesday.
As of 4:40 p.m. on Sunday, the Senate voted to pass the bill, following an hour-long committee of the whole session, where senators examined the bill clause by clause.
The vote comes after the Opposition NDP ran a 58-hour filibuster in the House to try and give the locked out Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and Canada Post time to work out a settlement on their own.
Canada Post locked out its employees on June 14, following 12 days of rotating strikes in various cities across the country.
Due to the lockout ending early in the week, mail subscribers will again receive their Westlock News in the mail.
Those who did not receive a June 20 edition are welcome to pick one up from the News office at 9871 – 107 Street.
