To gauge the popularity of the campaign, it invites people to share photos and videos of sending and receiving their postcards on social media using the hashtag #UnmotUnmoment.

“We already have the infrastructure to support this type of initiative,” explains Ms. Chartrand. Our delivery agents actually work every day to deliver these residential addresses across the country. So the postcards disappeared with the mail that they would deliver that day. It’s a way Canada Post is using its network to take this little positive gesture to help people through these difficult times. “

According to her, the campaign is also an opportunity to thank message carriers who have spent a “very busy” year and who would be happy to offer “something that brings joy”.

In the Estrie division of the Postal Workers Union, President Patrick Bleu said he supported this campaign, which he was unable to assess either.

“It’s an initiative to keep people in touch, and that’s very much Canada Post’s goal,” he says. We can’t be against that, especially if it’s about sending positive messages to people who need them. Yes, it will bring us more work, but it is part of our job. We can just agree and tell people: write to each other and support each other. “

Exponential increase in parcels

Canada Post has made headlines on a few occasions over the past year with noticeable delays in the delivery of an extraordinary volume of parcels resulting from, among other things, new online shopping habits.

According to figures reported by Valerie Chartrand, the state-owned company processed volumes of one million and more parcels per day for 181 consecutive days of delivery from mid-April through the end of 2020. For comparison, the threshold of one million parcels delivered in it says typically only reaches one day in The weeks before Christmas.

“Not only has the number of parcels increased, but there are also a number of huge household items, such as mini-fridges, garden furniture and barbecues, that pass through our network,” says Ms. Chartrand.

We also have to bear in mind that postcards, like letters, are processed on equipment separate from those used for parcels, so the #UnmotUnmoment campaign does not add volume to parcels. “Our client mail is clearly a priority,” insists Ms Chartrand.

2021 is the year of negotiations at Canada Post with a collective agreement that ends in December. Crown Company is due to present its annual report in a few weeks.

+

Type a word. Create a moment.

In the context of the pandemic and containment, Canada Post last fall launched a call to reconnect by writing letters and sending out greeting cards to spread joy around you. Campaign write a word. Create a moment. It was a huge popular success, according to Valerie Chartrand. Postcard holders are part of this trend. “It’s a more meaningful way than sending a text or email to let someone know we’re missing them,” she says. We have been behind our screens for a year now. Many have turned to writing letters or sending greeting cards to stay in touch, and that’s kind of the idea behind this initiative. It is a call to return to this more and more lost medium of communication. ”