As the Canada Post strike drags on into a third week, Canadian charities worry it is the needy people they serve that will bear the brunt of the protracted labor dispute.

The timing of the strike that began Nov. 15 could not be worse for Catholic charities. Organizations contacted by The Catholic Register say that they rely on the season of gift-giving for the bulk of their annual fundraising.

“Christmas is our largest campaign of the year. It really is a key time of year for us. We are very affected by this strike,” said Mario Bard, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Canada’s head of information.

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“It's a shame, because our Christmas campaign this year focuses on Burkina Faso, a country that doesn't get much coverage in the Canadian media.” 

Arthur Peters, executive director of ShareLife and director of development for the Archdiocese of Toronto, told the Register that ShareLife relies heavily on the end-of-year push to meet its fundraising goals.

“The increase in online donations helps alleviate a bit of pressure, but we are concerned about the impact of our year-end efforts, especially with the matching gift initiative playing a significant role in boosting the increase of gifts and reaching or exceeding the campaign goal.”

All the charities confirm they depend on the postal service to both send requests for financial support and to receive donations.

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Bard says ACN receives 86 per cent of donations by mail, which represents 90 per cent of its income. Peters reported that in 2024, ShareLife received 2,657 cheques totalling $678,000.  That figure does not include credit card donations received in the mail.

Chalice Canada echoed the concerns of the other two Catholic charities.

“Many supporters prefer to mail their Christmas and end-of-year donations via paper slips and cheques. While we have seen a slight uptick in online and over-the-phone giving, we are aware that many donations are undelivered,” said Elizabeth Hughes, Digital Marketing Manager for Chalice.

Hughes says it will be a very unusual December for the organization.

“As a charity, we use Canada Post to receive donations and letters, as well as to send all our annual communications, Christmas gift catalogues, and cherished holiday correspondence.”

Chalice is the only Catholic child sponsorship organization in Canada and the exchange of letters between sponsors and the children forms an important part of the relationship. Those letters and cards are now stuck in the Chalice offices in Bedford, Nova Scotia.

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Hughes says that though the backlog will be forwarded whenever the strike comes to an end, there is disappointment for all.

“The children and elders will not mind a belated greeting from their sponsor.  But they, too, created Christmas cards for their sponsors, and many of those were in the post when the strike began. Again, we are sure our sponsors will be glad to receive their friends’ card whenever it arrives, but it’s disappointing that it may not be in time for December 25.”