When the Letter Carriers Union of Canada called the first of two strikes to plague Canada Post this year, Freedom Party reacted in a manner somewhat inconsistent with its past demonstrations of "protest".

Unlike the strike that crippled London's municipal services earlier in the year, Canada Post's well-entrenched monopoly on mail service made it impossible to offer a realistic alternative. Delivering people's mail was simply out of the question, especially in light of the fact that the union was calling for rotating strikes which would only slow the mail rather than stop it.

So, initially, we thought we would sit this one out.

But then it happened. The violence. The vandalism. The threats.

But the worst of it was that no one rose to challenge the goal or tactics of the letter carriers union. No one exhibited the moral or political courage to face an obvious truth: that no one should be granted the right to a monopoly. And that means in labour and in business.

Despite its anger at the strikers, the public did not seem able to connect the violence, intimidation, and over-all tactics of the labour union with its philosophy. And that made education and awareness the primary goals of Freedom Party's campaign.

Thus, Freedom Party staged rotating information counter-pickets at London's two main post offices --- on the days that the carriers were working. It was not our intention to provoke a confrontation. We simply wanted to "deliver" our own message to labour, management, and consumers alike.

Click on the thumbnails below to display full-size photographs of Fp's postal strike campaign.

The message? That open competition is the only long-term solution to the problems that plague Canada Post.

In addition to the literature distributed by our counter-pickets in London, volunteers delivered our message door-to-door to homes in London, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, and St. Thomas.

Admittedly, our brochure was blunt and to the point. But until someone displays the courage necessary to adopt a moral stance and takes the proper action necessary to address the truth behind union goals, decreased productivity, higher prices, controlled markets, and labour strife will be with us to stay.

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Page last updated on April 28, 2002