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In the late seventeenth century, the initial foundation of Canada’s postal system took shape. It began in 1693, when the French colony of New France, seeking to manage official government letters, established a post office in Montreal. After Canada became a British colony, the British military assumed responsibility for the distribution of mail throughout the country. Civilian post offices were established in the second half of the 18th century.

In 1851, the Canadian colonies, in a significant step toward autonomy, assumed responsibility for postal services, leading to the creation of the Post Office Department. When Canada joined the Confederation in 1867, the department was incorporated into the federal government. That same year, the first Postmaster General took office, and Canada issued its first postage stamps bearing the country’s coat of arms. The years that followed, marked by the development of railroads, led to a significant increase in mailing volumes.

The advent of the twentieth century brought new advances. In 1908-09, mail began to reach rural areas, and in 1969, daily mail delivery to urban centers began. Mechanization played a crucial role in improving sorting and transportation.

This changed in 1981 when the Post Office Department was replaced by the Canada Post Corporation, which was established as a self-sufficient organization. In 1971, the Postal Service began modernizing by introducing postal codes, and in 1974, it switched to a five-digit ZIP code system. As technology advanced, the Postal Service introduced new services, such as tracking systems.

By 2007, the postal giant was delivering about 10 billion pieces of mail annually, with revenues exceeding $7 billion and more than 50,000 employees working in 6,300 post offices. With the decline of traditional mail and the rise of parcel delivery, Canada Post is changing its focus. It is revamping its strategy to focus on e-commerce and continues to provide large-scale and consistent service.