Canada Post commits to free postage for people who are blind as legislation changes

A Canada Post mail carrier delivers a package on their route in Montreal on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi (Christinne Muschi)

OTTAWA -- Canada Post is vowing to maintain free-postage service for people who are blind even as Ottawa’s budget bill looks to repeal those parts of the postal service’s legislation.

Bill C-15, the federal budget implementation act, contains a proposal to allow Canada Post to set its own postage rates. Right now, the Crown corporation has to seek Ottawa’s approval to change the price of a stamp.

But alongside those changes is the repeal of certain sections of the Canada Post Corporation Act. Specifically, the bill removes clauses that allow Canadians and organizations to send and receive -- without paying any postage -- books, letters and other materials used by people who are blind.

Laurie Davidson, executive director of the Centre for Equitable Library Access, said she was alarmed by the idea that those crucial parts of Canada Post’s legislation could be repealed.

The Centre for Equitable Library Access is a non-profit that provides accessible reading material, such as physical books in braille and audiobooks, to people who are blind, low-vision or have other disabilities that make reading difficult.

Davidson said adding postage to the thousands of shipments the Centre for Equitable Library Access sends out every year would be a “prohibitive” expense and would mean many Canadians who are blind or low vision would no longer receive materials from her organization and others like it.

The CNIB estimates 1.5 million people in Canada live with some form of vision loss.

Davidson said the free postage on accessible materials can be a lifeline for clients who live in remote areas and do not have ready access to a local library or digital alternatives.

“For all of these people, this would be a loss of format choice that would significantly impact their ability to equitably participate in Canadian society,” she said.

Providing free postage for people with impaired vision has been a part of the Canada Post Corporation Act since its inception in 1981, Davidson said, adding the practice may predate the legislation.

It’s also a tenet of the Universal Postal Convention, a United Nations-led pact that Canada has signed.

Officials from the office of Joel Lightbound, the federal minister responsible for Canada Post, said the government does not intend to walk away from its commitments under the postal convention.

They said the government has to repeal those parts of the legislation to give the postal service the power to change its own postage rates.

A Department of Public Services and Procurement Canada spokesman confirmed Monday the federal government will continue to compensate Canada Post for providing free postage to people who are blind.

“The transmission of materials for the blind will continue to be delivered free of postage and library materials will continue to be delivered at a reduced rate of postage,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

A spokeswoman for Canada Post initially said on Friday that the corporation was “aware of the proposed changes in Bill C-15” and would not comment further.

But after this story was published Monday, the Crown corporation issued a followup statement reconfirming its commitments under the Universal Postal Union, a specialized United Nations agency that governs the international convention.

“We are proud of our long-standing commitment to provide free postage for the blind and have no plans to change this service,” said spokeswoman Lisa Liu.

“As for Bill C-15, we’re not in a position to comment. We remain committed to our mandate of serving all Canadians, including those with disabilities.”

Davidson said she appreciates the postal service’s commitment but the Crown corporation should have consulted members of the community in advance of any changes.

Even with the verbal commitment from Canada Post, Davidson said Canada could violate its responsibilities under the Universal Postal Convention by repealing relevant sections of the law.

She said she and other stakeholders will continue to push parliamentarians to amend Bill C-15 to protect clauses guaranteeing free postage on accessible materials.

Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger is set to appear in front of the House of Commons’ standing committee on government operations and estimates to discuss the challenges facing the Crown corporation on Thursday afternoon.

Facing mounting financial losses in recent years, Canada Post is readying for major overhauls to keep its operations viable. That includes a turnaround plan submitted to Lightbound last month; details of the proposal have not been made public while his office is reviewing it.

By Craig Lord

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2025.