Canada Post hiring in Manitoba amid federal Tory grumbling

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This article was published 11/05/2022 (1254 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Canada Post is hiring in Manitoba, but won’t confirm the federal Conservatives’ claim the Crown corporation’s vaccination mandate is causing staff shortfalls.

It has posted 19 jobs across Manitoba, from Winnipeg call centre attendants to rural letter carriers.

Those vacancies caught the notice of Portage—Lisgar MP Candice Bergen, who tweeted Monday offices in her riding “are experiencing service interruptions due to (Ottawa’s) vaccine mandate.”

The Liberal government has imposed a vaccination mandate on all federal departments and the vast majority of agencies, including Crown corporations.

Canada Post wouldn’t confirm if there are service disruptions in central-south Manitoba, though it hasn’t mentioned any recent issues online. The Crown corporation also would not say whether it has understaffing in the province.

“We are currently looking for new team members to fill new or vacant positions across the company, and replenish our pool of temporary workers,” spokesman Phil Legault wrote, in response to questions.

The Crown corporation’s internal data suggest very few Canada Post employees have not had COVID-19 vaccinations.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has challenged the vaccine mandate since it came into force in October 2021. The union argues it is “unreasonable,” as it infringes on labour agreements and has no opt-out for people who agree to recurring antigens tests.

An arbitrator dismissed the union’s grievance April 28, arguing the company is upholding its obligations under the federal labour code.

According to internal reports, earlier versions of which were filed with the arbitrator, just 2.6 per cent of the company’s 52,385 employees, as of March 10, had not filled out an attestation that they have been double-vaccinated.

Another 230 said they were unwilling to sign the attestation, amounting to 0.4 per cent of the workforce, while 610 had a religious or medical exemption.

Bergen’s office did not respond to a Tuesday query seeking more information about claims the agency is short-staffed.

The federal Conservatives have frequently criticized the Liberals for keeping vaccination mandates in place, despite provinces dropping those requirements.

Last week, Dauphin-area MP Dan Mazier spoke of a food inspector who can’t do their job due to the mandates.

“The Liberals do not care about science. They only care about division,” Mazier told the Commons on May 6.

Treasury Board president Mona Fortier, who oversees public servant working rules, replied Ottawa is reviewing the issue.

“We have put in place measures to protect workers and our communities. As circumstances change, we adjust these measures,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ottawa is still working on regulations that would broaden the vaccination mandate into the private realm that is federally regulated, such as banks, railways, broadcasting and certain agricultural tasks.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca