The union representing Amazon workers in Quebec intends to announce possible legal action against the online retail giant as the number of people who have lost their jobs due to the company’s decision to pull out of the province is much higher than previously reported, CTV News has learned.
In a surprise announcement last week, the U.S. company said it was closing all of its warehouses in the province and laying off upwards of 1,700 workers.
However, figures provided by Quebec’s Ministry of Labour show that the layoffs exceed 4,500 across the province. According to the ministry data, 1,903 workers who lost their jobs are Amazon employees at the company’s seven warehouses in the Greater Montreal Area.
As of Jan. 29, the ministry has also received a total of 2,640 layoff notices at more than 20 different delivery partners related to Amazon’s decision to pull out of the province.
The e-commerce giant has denied that its decision to leave Quebec had anything to do with the 200 workers at the DXT4 warehouse in Laval, north of Montreal, forming a union — the first to do so in Canada.
However, the union representing the workers, the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), isn’t buying it and believes the company was worried about other facilities unionizing.
“It sends out a really strong signal also to other Amazon workers in Canada. And we know that there have been union drives in Alberta and especially British Columbia. So this is a tactic to scare them off. It has a really chilling effect,” said CSN President Caroline Senneville.
A press conference is scheduled for Feb. 4 where the union will launch a campaign against Amazon that could include possible legal recourse for the sudden closure and its effects on thousands of workers in Quebec.
“For example, Walmart, when it closed its store in Saguenay after a union drive, they were fined, and they had to pay compensation to the workers that have been laid off. So we’re going to look into everything that can be done legally,” Senneville said in an interview.
Proposed meeting with minister, CEO on ice
The new layoff figures also come as attempts by Canada’s industry minister to meet with Amazon CEO Andy Jassy appear to be going nowhere.
In the days following the announcement, Minister François-Philippe Champagne had reached out to Jassy’s office in the hopes of convincing the multinational to reconsider.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said he was “outraged” by Amazon’s decision to shutter its facilities in Quebec, laying off thousands of workers.
— CTV Question Period (@ctvqp) January 26, 2025
“We need to stand up, elbows up, raise our voices,” said Champagne, after the company agreed to sit down with the… pic.twitter.com/lh2ijxkiGM
Audrey Milette, a spokesperson for his office, told CTV News on Wednesday evening that “The CEO of Amazon has declined the meeting with the minister, doing so through the media.”
When reached for comment on Friday, an Amazon spokesperson explained in an email that “Andy Jassy’s office hasn’t responded to this request, but our team’s invitations to brief the Minister again about this decision stands, ” adding that “the Minister did receive a briefing previously - on the day this announcement was made.”
Reached by phone for clarification, Amazon spokesperson Steve Kelly said the company is “moving forward as planned” with ending operations in Quebec, and that “our invitation to the minister from our team to brief him about this decision still stands.”
The Canadian government has threatened to review its commercial relationship with Amazon if it doesn’t reverse its decision. Champagne’s office said Friday it was still considering its next steps and that all options are on the table.
