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Exclusive Privilege
According to the Canada Post Corporation Act and Regulations, Canada Post Corporation has the sole and exclusive privilege in Canada of collecting, transmitting and delivering letters to the addressee. This exclusive privilege extends to letters weighing up to 500 g mailed in Canada for delivery within Canada or outside Canada, or mailed outside Canada for delivery within Canada.
Every person who, in violation of the exclusive privilege of Canada Post Corporation, collects, transmits or delivers to the addressee thereof or undertakes to collect, transmit or deliver to the addressee thereof any letter within Canada, or receives or has in his possession within Canada any letter for the purpose of so transmitting or delivering it, commits an offence in respect of each such letter. Every such person is guilty of an indictable offence and is liable to imprisonment for five years; or is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.
The exclusive privilege of Canada Post Corporation does not apply to:
letters carried incidentally and delivered to the addressee thereof by a friend of the sender or addressee
commissions, affidavits, writs, processes or proceedings issued by a court of justice
letters lawfully brought into Canada and forthwith posted thereafter
letters concerning goods for delivery therewith, carried by a common carrier without pay, reward, advantage or profit for so doing
letters of an urgent nature that are transmitted by a messenger for a fee at least equal to an amount that is three times the regular rate of postage payable for delivery in Canada of similarly addressed letters weighing fifty grams
letters of any merchant or owner of a cargo vessel or the cargo therein that are carried by such vessel or by any employee of such merchant or owner and delivered to the addressee thereof without pay, reward, advantage or profit for so doing
letters concerning the affairs of an organization that are transmitted between offices of that organization by an employee thereof
letters in the course of transmission by any electronic or optical means
letters transmitted by any naval, army or air forces of any foreign country that are in Canada with the consent of the Government of Canada.
NOTE:
Although the above are exceptions to the exclusive privilege of Canada Post Corporation, it is not intended that this be construed as authorizing any person to collect or receive any such letters for the purpose of transmitting or delivering them.
The Canada Post Corporation Act and Regulations does not oblige any person to transmit by post any newspaper, magazine, book, catalogue or goods.
Canada Post’s Responsibility
Canada Post’s responsibility for delivery of mail ends when the mail has been delivered to the addressee or his representative, to a mail receptacle at the address of delivery or at a post office box where the mail is addressed to or in care of that box. If the item is sent Registered Mail, the responsibility of the Corporation ends when the addressee or another adult at the destination address signs for the article.
For non-registered items requiring a signature, if the addressee or representative refuses to sign for the item, Canada Post will ask the addressee or representative to print his/her name in block letters. If the addressee or representative refuses, Canada Post will deliver the item and indicate “Signature Refused” in the signature box.
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