National News

King Charles is set to open a new session of Parliament on Tuesday, seated in a throne that incorporates a piece of English walnut from Windsor Great Park, a preserve of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth.

The Royal Family connection is especially appropriate given that the Queen was the first sovereign to deliver a speech from the throne in Canada, a role usually fulfilled by the Governor General.

Talks between Canada Post and negotiators from its union are expected to resume over the next few days, its union said Sunday after the two parties met amid warnings of mail delivery delays tied to a national ban on overtime for postal workers.

In an afternoon statement, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers said its negotiators had "worked hard to carefully evaluate" Canada Post's latest offers and prepare responses ahead of the day's meeting with the employer and the mediators. 

Among the tour groups converging on Parliament Hill under umbrellas this week, new and newly re-elected members of Parliament are getting acquainted with their offices and colleagues ahead of the opening of the House of Commons this week. 

The first order of business for MPs is the selection of a new House Speaker on Monday morning, and at least six returning members are asking their colleagues to support their bid to take the chair. 

Canada Post customers may face delays as tens of thousands of workers swear off overtime shifts, though a much bigger disruption was averted after the union backed down from a strike threat.

Nonetheless, the possibility of escalating job action could continue to scare off customers who pulled their shipments over the past couple of weeks, draining more business from the cash-strapped organization.

“I’m scared for the future,” said Edmonton mail carrier Dustin Ellis, who recently went on leave to study for a new career in social work.

Top officials at the Canada Revenue Agency say mounting job cuts will impact how the agency is able to deliver services.

Commissioner Bob Hamilton and deputy commissioner Jean-François Fortin said in a message to staff Thursday that up to 280 employees will lose their jobs at the agency.

The agency has been examining its operating budget for more than two years to meet a demand from the government to find savings. 

Canada's western premiers say they've agreed to identify, plan and develop new economic corridors to connect provincial resources to international markets.

A joint statement issued Thursday says doing so would boost Canada's market access in Asia and Europe while the country fights a trade war with the United States and China.

The union representing about 55,000 Canada Post employees has called for a countrywide halt to overtime work, saying its negotiators will continue to review the latest contract offers from the mail carrier.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers said late Thursday that members were being told to refuse any work beyond eight hours in a day and 40 hours in a week. 

The union representing about 55,000 Canada Post employees said the latest offers from the postal service "fall short" with hours to go until a looming strike deadline.

Canada Post meanwhile said Thursday it's already seeing mail volumes decline ahead of another possible labour disruption and is pushing for an urgent resolution.

Spokesperson Lisa Liu said Canada Post hasn't yet received a response from the union about its proposals issued a day earlier.

The postal service is ready to resume bargaining "as soon as possible" with a mediator at the table, she said.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has named 73 MPs to his party's leadership team and critic roles ahead of next week's return to the House of Commons.

He has named 48 Conservative members of Parliament to critic roles, while another 14 will become associate critics.

Most of them are returning MPs, though some have been shuffled to new positions left by people who were not re-elected on April 28. 

Canadians could soon find out if there will be another labour disruption at the national postal operator.

The union representing about 55,000 Canada Post employees has said it is reviewing a set of proposals for urban workers, along with rural and suburban carriers.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers issued a 72-hour strike notice on Tuesday, and the deadline is Friday at midnight.

Canada Post says the new offers address several concerns, and it is offering a wage increase of 13.59 per cent over four years.