Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Amazon to Shut Down All Warehouses in Quebec

Amazon will be closing all seven of its warehouses in Quebec, a decision that will lay off more than 1,700 employees.

Amazon has warehouses in Coteaux-du-Lac, Longueuil, Lachine, Laval, including two sorting centers, one fulfilment center, and three delivery stations.

The shut down will be a rolling process and is expected to take place between now and March.

According to Amazon spokesperson Barbara Agrait, they will be returning to a third-party delivery model, which is supported by local businesses. She emphasized that the decision ‘wasn’t made lightly’ and that they will be providing affected employees with a severance package.

amazon closing in quebec
The closures in Quebec will be affecting 1,700 regular employees and thousands of temporary and independent contractors

The shut down will impact 1,700 regular employees, 250 seasonal employees and thousands of independent contractors.

One Amazon dispatcher and delivery driver, who has worked with the company for two years, said his team of approximately 100 people was given notice on Wednesday. They said ‘[everyone] is depressed’ and that ‘the morale is at zero’.

Quebec Ministers Respond to the Shut Downs

Francois Legault, the Quebec Premier, said he was saddened by the news, which will be impacting 1,700 Quebec families. However, he noted that Amazon is a private company that can make such decisions.

He said ‘[they] will be doing everything they can to help [the affected employees]’ and will be talking to the construction sector. He also reminded individuals that there are provincial programs that can help.

amazon closes quebec facilities
Amazon will be closing all of its facilities in Quebec, including three delivery stations, two sorting centers and a fulfilment center

Quebec’s employment minister agreed with Legault and said they will be offering help to the impacted workers.

Federal Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne wrote on X that he has spoken to the director of Amazon Canada, who confirmed the announcement and said that ‘[this] is not the way business is done in Canada’.

Warehouse Workers In Laval Were Unionized

Amazon employees at the Laval DXT4 warehouse recently obtained a union certification, becoming the first of the company’s Canadian warehouses to unionize.

Amazon had fought the decision, challenging the workers’ accreditation with the Confederation of National Trade Unions.

The company eventually lost the challenge in October.

amazon employees
Dozens of unionized Amazon employees participated in a demonstration of solidarity on Monday

When asked whether or not the closures had anything to do with the recent unionization, the company denied the claim and said the shut downs were ‘about providing better service to customers’.

Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), the second largest trade union federation in Quebec, however, has its doubts.

CSN president Caroline Senneville described it as ‘a scandal’ and ‘a slap to the face to all Quebec workers’. She said the employees have a right to improve their working conditions by unionizing and what Amazon is doing is ‘not respecting [their] rights as workers’.

Jagmeet Singh, the Federal NDP Leader, agreed, saying that the company was obviously trying to ‘union bust’.

While 1,700 people isn’t a large number in the grand scheme of things, many find it to be concerning as it may send a signal to other companies that it’s time to pull out of Quebec as well.

Brooke Carter
Brooke Carter
Freelance writer who loves dogs and anything related to Japanese culture.
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