Canada Post Announces Free Regular Parcel Service for Holiday Season

For the nineteenth year in a row, Canada Post will once again provide free regular parcel services for the holiday season to family and friends of deployed military members.

The service will be running from Oct. 15 to Jan. 15.

“Parcels will be delivered free of charge from any Canada Post retail outlet to designated CAF bases and will then be forwarded through the CAF postal system to members overseas,” stated CANFORGEN 143/24.

It is important to note the CAF Postal Service cannot be used for the purpose of sending charitable goods or humanitarian aid.

Canada Post will also provide free delivery of letters to deployed soldiers until Dec. 31, 2025.

The delivery of free parcels is a time-honoured holiday tradition that helps to deliver a piece of home to members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) on missions all around the world.

Mailing guidelines

Only those who have military personnel serviced by the following addresses can take Canada Post up on their offer:

• Halifax NS B3K 5X5
• Belleville, ON K8N 5W6
• Victoria, BC V9A 7N2

To ensure your package reaches its destination, you need to fill out the proper customs declaration forms and have your military family member’s correct address.

Letters and parcels should be deposited at a Canada Post retail outlet. According to CANFORGEN, mail deposited in street letter boxes will not be delivered.

It is important to note the CAF Postal Service cannot be used for the purpose of sending charitable goods or humanitarian aid.

Top images: Left, Santa Claus helps members of Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship WINNIPEG bring holiday care packages that were sent from friends and families through the Military Family Resource Centre onto the ship in Cartagena, Spain on December 16, 2015 during Operation REASSURANCE. Photo: Cpl Stuart MacNeil, HMCS WINNIPEG, right, Master Corporal Joe Cornolius, a Meteorological Technician, stands on the flight deck of HMCS Ottawa to sort and distribute morale mail to the ship’s company during a port visit to Okinawa, Japan, during Indo-Pacific Deployment on 3 November 2023. Photo Credit: Aviator Gregory Cole, Canadian Armed Forces Photo.