I was recently shipping a family member some documents to Canada via USPS.
But since USPS is an American, government owned and operated enterprise, it got me wondering who would fulfill the shipment in Canada? Does USPS become Canada Post when crossing the border?
We looked into it and this is what we found…
Does USPS Become Canada Post?
USPS rely on Canada Post for the final delivery of all mail to Canada from the US. It is the same in reverse: USPS complete final delivery of mail from Canada to the US. The two collaborate to fulfill shipments but USPS does not technically become Canada Post.
This is different from, say, FedEx or United Parcel Services, who handle the shipping from the sender all the way to the recipient. The cooperation of USP and Canada Post is an international collaboration that ensures regular and secure postal deliveries across countries.
Is Canada Post Government Owned?
Canada Post is a Crown corporation owned by the federal government of Canada. A Crown corporation is one created by a government for specific public policy objectives – in this case, delivering the mail to (and for) all Canadians regardless of where they live.
A Crown corporation does not have commercial values and goals only. Instead, they are managed in the best interests of the public good and as such, are assessed according to the social and economic benefits they provide (rather than on the profits they make).
The Canada Post Board follows explicit rules and regulations as defined by the Canada Post Act.
When Was Canada Post Established?
Canada Post officially began when Canada was federated in 1867 and a Post office Department (The Royal Mail Canada) was created.
Before that, postal services were under the control of the British Government.
Then, in 1981, the Federal Parliament passed the “Canada Post Corporation Act”, which transformed Canada Post into a Crown corporation named Canada Post Corporation or CPC (which trades as Canada Post). This corporation is quite separate to the United States Postal service.
Are USPS And Canada Post The Same Service?
Canada Post and USPS are not the same service, although they do provide the same kind of services.
The United States Postal Service is “an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government.” It is explicitly authorized by the United States Constitution.”
Canada Post is a government owned Crown Corporation. They are both directed to fund operations through product and service revenue.
The difference is that USPS must win Congressional approval for any changes to its operations. Canada, on the other hand, does not have to present business decisions to its parliament for approval.
This means that Canada Post was able to announce the end of door to door mail delivery in urban centres in 2013 based on in internal decision rather than on a proposal from Parliament.
Meanwhile, USPS isn’t able to make executive decisions regarding services or products and if there are any proposals to do so, they will likely come from congressmen rather than from, say, the Postmaster General.
Does Canada Post Deliver In The US?
Canada Post delivers to the U.S. and to more than 190 other countries worldwide. They provide shipping for packages of any size by air or surface and offer timed delivery guarantees, tracking, insurance, and signature options.
The Canada Post website features an international shipping guide page with information for everything from restrictions on shipping, duties and taxes, management of forms, declaration and customs processes, and regulatory requirements.
On the international shipping information page, you’ll find a handy comparison table so you can compare shipping services and speeds. You’ll also find tracking information, insurance, returns, customs and signature information.
So, if you want to know more about Priority Worldwide Shipping, which is the fastest US and international delivery service, you can follow the tab to the Priority Worldwide information page.
Priority Worldwide has a next day delivery to the US (and 2-3 days for more than 192 other countries).
Included features are tracking, insurance, customs clearance, and an on time delivery guarantee. Then you’ll see the paid options next. For Priority Worldwide shipping, these are additional insurance and a return-to-sender order.
Want to learn more about USPS? Check out our related posts to learn if USPS buys back unused stamps, does USPS ask for ID, and how accurate is USPS tracking.
Summary
Canada Post is a government owned Crown Corporation and a similar business enterprise (and similar history) to the USPS. They are not the same organization.
Rather, they are completely separate enterprises that are owned by two different countries.
They do, however, provide nearly identical services and products and for the same reasons.
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