OTTAWA - An inquiry into Canada Post kicked off hearings Monday, looking into a month-long strike that ended in government intervention and the viability of the postal service's business model.
Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger emphasized to the Industrial Inquiry Commission the Crown corporation's challenging financial reality and its urgent need for change if it wants to remain solvent.
Meanwhile, chief financial officer Rindala El-Hage outlined how the corporation's losses are expected to increase and that Canada Post was set to run out of cash by the end of July — a projection that didn't include the countrywide postal strike.
On Friday, the federal government announced it will provide a $1-billion repayable loan to Canada Post to help it continue operating.
While the funding buys the corporation some time, Ettinger said it's not a long-term solution.
More than 55,000 workers went on strike Nov. 15 after negotiations broke down between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.