Ottawa opens search for Canada Post's next CEO

The federal government has launched a search for Canada Post Corporation's next President and Chief Executive Officer.

Joël Lightbound, Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement, announced the open, competency-based selection process on Tuesday.

The move follows the announced retirement of current CEO Doug Ettinger, who has led the corporation since March 2019. Ettinger's term ends March 3, 2027, and he will remain in the role until a successor is appointed. 

Lightbound thanked Ettinger "for his dedication to Canada Post over the past 10 years" and wished him "a well-deserved retirement.” That figure spans his time as Chief Commercial Officer from 2016 before his 2019 appointment as CEO. 

The search launches a year after the government described Canada Post as facing "an existential crisis," having lost more than $5 billion since 2018 and roughly $10 million daily at the time, per a September 2025 statement from Public Services and Procurement Canada.

Lightbound said the corporation has since "found much needed stability," citing the negotiation of a new agreement with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers alongside stabilization measures announced in 2025.

“Canada Post is at a pivotal moment. Following the successful negotiation of a new agreement with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and the measures I announced in September 2025, the corporation has found much needed stability. These steps provide a foundation for Canada Post to adapt, innovate, and build an institution that continues to deliver the services Canadians rely on, while responding to the changing ways Canadians connect,” said Lightbound.

“The next President and CEO will play a critical leadership role in continuing the implementation of these measures, while also steering the course for further transformation.”

Eligibility requirements

The Notice of Appointment Opportunity, posted to the Governor in Council Appointments website, sets a salary range of $573,500 to $674,700 for the new Canada Post CEO, with applications due Oct. 6, 2026.

Candidates must demonstrate "significant experience at a senior executive level working in a complex and highly scrutinised unionized environment, and dealing with labour relations issues, including collective agreements, negotiations and labour disruptions," the posting states. It also calls for experience "leading / overseeing complex change management or restructuring activities."

The posting further lists "developing and implementing progressive human resources strategies" among the CEO's core responsibilities, and notes that preference may be given to applicants from designated employment equity groups, including Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, visible minorities, members of 2SLGBTQ+ communities and women.

Lightbound said the government is "seeking a leader who can execute an ambitious vision while strengthening Canadians' confidence in Canada Post," as the corporation continues implementing network and service changes announced in 2025.

Canada Post developments 

Here are some things that have happened at Canada Post since 2025, based on previous reports:

• January 2025 - Canada Post eliminates 20 percent of senior executive roles, including its Chief Financial Officer, in a leadership streamlining

• Jan. 9, 2025 - Canadian HR Reporter examines how organizations rebuild trust after a bitter labour dispute, in the wake of the 2024 strike

• Feb. 6–7, 2025 - Roughly 50 management employees were laid off nationwide as part of ongoing restructuring

• Aug. 13, 2025 - National overtime ban remains in effect as negotiations stall; Canada Post says modernization is urgently needed, according to a CBC report

• Aug. 26–27, 2025 - Canada Post reports a $407-million pre-tax Q2 loss as parcel volumes fall sharply, according to CTV News

• Sept. 25, 2025 - Ottawa announces transformation measures — flexible delivery standards, lifted moratoriums on community mailbox conversions and rural post office closures; CUPW launches a second nationwide strike in response, according to Public Services and Procurement Canada 

• October 2025 - CFIB survey finds 87% of small businesses want Canada Post reformed; group estimates strike-related losses in the hundreds of millions, according to Global News 

• Oct. 28–29, 2025 - Second wave of management layoffs described as "corporate-wide restructuring"; CUPW and the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association demand public consultation

• December 2025 - Canada Post and CUPW reach tentative collective agreements

• End of January 2026 - Tentative agreements finalized ahead of a ratification vote

• Early 2026Q1 2026 - pre-tax loss of $205 million reported

• March 2026 - Federal government authorizes sweeping service changes — ending door-to-door delivery for roughly four million addresses, converting to community mailboxes, closing post offices, according to CUPW

• April 2026 - Canada Post confirms plans to cut roughly 30,000 jobs by 2035, largely through attrition, after posting a record $1.57-billion loss for 2025

• May 28, 2026CUPW issues a statement asserting "the right to strike is non-negotiable" amid continued government pressure, according to CUPW 

• June 1, 2026 - CUPW members ratify new five-year collective agreements — 89% of Urban Postal Operations members and 85.9% of Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers in favour

• June 18, 2026 - New collective agreements formally signed, as CBC News reported 

• Aug. 20, 2026 - Finalized Urban and RSMC collective agreement documents posted, in effect until Jan. 31, 2029, according to CUPW 

• Aug. 28, 2026 - Q2 2026 results show a $277-million pre-tax loss, a marked improvement over the same period in 2025, credited to labour stability and early parcel-business recovery, CTV News reported