08:22 AM EST, 12/13/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Nearly three-quarters, or 73%, of small business owners say they will be using Canada Post less in the future because of the current labor strike, according to new data by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) released on Friday.

The total financial hit to small firms has now reached C$1.6 billion since the strike began, according to new data collected by CFIB.

"It should alarm us all that thousands of small firms will permanently abandon use of Canada Post as businesses have been forced to put alternatives in place. Canada Post and its union may well have lost their last reliable customers - small business owners," said CFIB president Dan Kelly in a statement.

CFIB is calling on both Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) to call an immediate truce and resume operations while continuing to work through their differences. If this fails, then the Minister must immediately order binding arbitration to get workers back on the job.