Canada Post strike — good time to abolish Canada Post

Things are a lot different these days than they were when Canada’s postal monopoly went on strike 14 years ago.

The Internet dominates interpersonal communication nowadays — a lot of people wouldn’t even notice Canada Post being on strike these days, other than the fact that they’d have less junk in their mail box.

In this article, we read:

Canada Post has offered to increase new employee starting salaries to $19 an hour, from the previous $18 rate, in a workforce where hourly wages top out at $26 an hour.

Canada Post counters that it needs to address labour costs, noting letter-mail business has fallen more than 17% since 2006 due to digital communications — the Internet is chipping away at its business.

Question — why do letter carriers need to be paid $18 an hour at all??? Why does their maximum wage need to be $26? This is a job that could be done by teenagers for $10 an hour. These teenagers would, at least, probably be able to put the right mail in the right mailbox, unlike your average lazy, contemptuous, and bitter Canada Post worker.

Why is it considered a right to get subsidized mail delivery to your house? Why shouldn’t you have to pay the appropriate market price? Shouldn’t you have to pay more for mail when you live in Nunuvut than if you live in Toronto? After all, “mail delivery in the big city” is a very different service than “mail delivery to the desolate Canadian tundra with a population of 17 people”! Why should mail delivery to the middle-of-nowhere be subsidized by people who don’t use Canada Post for anything? This is not moral, and it is not economically efficient!

The whole postal monopoly system is a disgrace. Canada should use the opportunity of this postal strike to abolish Canada Post, which is a complete waste of all resources allocated to it. Then competition should be legalized and the free market can provide real mail service with true market prices.

Here is a 3-step solution to the Canada Post strike. Only these options are consistent with good economics, good ethics, and not being a complete idiot.

1) Fire everyone who works for Canada Post at the moment. That way they can get jobs that actually contribute to the economy.

2) Remove all legal restrictions preventing private firms from providing mail service.

3) Abolish all regulations on courier services so that such services can be more affordable and more readily available to all consumers.

ONLY if this solution is adhered to, will Canada have good postal service. Giving Canada Post’s union ANYTHING, be it more vacation hours, better wages, “better working conditions,” is a complete waste, and will produce more of the same garbage we expect from Canada Post.

We need less Canada Post, not more.