Quebecers are already boycotting Amazon as layoff count reaches 3,000 employees

Amazon’s decision to shut down its operations in Quebec has left thousands of workers facing uncertain futures. But some Quebecers have responded by taking a stand against the company.

On Wednesday, January 24, Amazon announced the closure of its seven warehouses across Quebec, resulting in 1,700 layoffs over the coming weeks and months.

However, a new report from CBC indicates that the number of affected workers will now exceed 3,500. This updated figure includes employees from small businesses with contracts to deliver packages on Amazon’s behalf.

In the wake of this announcement, a social media movement called “Ici, on boycotte Amazon” (“Here, we boycott Amazon”) has started to gain traction. The campaign reflects growing discontent among Quebecers and a push to encourage support for local businesses as an alternative to the corporation.

“Jeff Bezos, the top boss of Amazon, is one of the richest men in the world. He is spitting on Quebec, on our workers and our working conditions,” a spokesperson for the movement wrote in a recent Instagram post highlighting the group’s demands.

“Amazon is showing bosses everywhere that it’s possible to steamroll over us. This doesn’t just affect Amazon workers, but the whole of Quebec. We won’t sit back and do nothing! Quebec is a market of 9 million customers; Canada is over 40 million. If we stand up to the American oligarchs, we can win!”

As of Friday morning, the Instagram page had 170 followers.

Multiple boycott organizers handed out flyers at a Montreal Metro station on Thursday, calling on Quebecers to cancel their Amazon subscriptions and spread news of the movement.

In a message shared with MTL Blog, André-Philippe Doré, a spokesperson for the group, explained that the boycotters want Amazon to keep their Quebec warehouses open. But if they are to be closed, they demand the following:

1. Suspension of all Amazon activities in Quebec (including AWS, data centres, etc.).
2. Expropriation of the closed warehouses.
3. Repayment of all public subsidies that were given to Amazon.
4. One year of salary and insurance for the laid-off workers.
5. Free education for those workers.

Meanwhile, a recent Reddit post calling for Quebecers to boycott Amazon has already featured dozens of replies, with some claiming to have cancelled their Prime subscriptions.

“I am absolutely willing to go to a store and pay more to stop throwing money at a company whose barely hidden goal is to screw people over as deeply as possible without consequences,” one comment read.

Part of the growing anger stems from the fact that closures were announced less than a year after the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) filed an application with the Administrative Labour Tribunal (ALT) to represent 200 employees at Amazon’s DXT4 warehouse in Laval. That move made it the first Amazon fulfillment centre in Canada to unionize.

In an email exchange with Narcity Quebec, Amazon spokesperson Barbara Agrait said the company’s decision to adopt a third-party delivery system was not based on unionization but on cost efficiency, stating that the company has collaborated with third-party providers in Quebec for many years and solely relied on them until 2020.

Agrait maintains that Amazon is convinced it can offer the same service at a lower cost and has made “the best decision” for the company and its customers. Regarding delivery times, Agrait limited herself to saying that customers throughout Quebec will continue to enjoy fast service, as well as a wide selection of products.

Amazon is expected to wind down its operations throughout the province within the next two months.

This article’s cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.