The Minister of Innovation, Sciences and Industry sent a letter to the President and CEO of Amazon, Andy Jassy, Thursday, to invite the multinational to reconsider “immediately” the closure, within two months, of its Quebec warehouses.
According to Minister Champagne, this Amazon decision, announced on Wednesday, “goes against (sound) desire to be a leader and a strategic partner within the industrial economy of Canada”.
“The decision you announced (Wednesday) is not likely to inspire confidence and raises questions about your commitment to Canada and your Canadian partners,” he wrote, while expressing his “deep disappointment” .
Mr. Champagne argued to Mr. Jassy that he “is not too late” to reconsider this decision, recalling that “Amazon’s distribution centers in Quebec play a key role in the supply chain of the ‘business”.
Saying concerned about “massive and sudden” layoffs which will take place in the wake of closures, Minister Champagne launched a warning to the company established in Seattle.
“You will undoubtedly understand that this action requires a review of the commercial relationship that exists between Amazon and the Government of Canada.”
— François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Sciences and Industry
Mr. Champagne invited Mr. Jassy to discuss the question more, reiterating that “Amazon draws important advantages of the Canadian economy”.
-Wednesday, Mr. Champagne also spoke to the Amazon Canada leader to tell him about the “disappointment” and the “frustration” of Ottawa in this file.
Nearly 2,000 lost jobs
Amazon will close its seven distribution centers in Quebec within the next two months, which will result in the dismissal of 1,700 permanent employees and the loss of 250 temporary jobs.
The online sale giant justified his decision by saying that he wanted to “return to a delivery model by third parties supported by small local businesses, similar to what (he had) in 2020”.
The president of the CSN, Caroline Senneville, rather accused Amazon of having done thus in retaliation for the unionization which took place at the Laval warehouse, which the company denied.
Amazon Canada said that dismissed employees will be entitled to “transitional advantages, such as external relocation resources in employment” and compensation up to 14 weeks.
Prime Minister François Legault has assured that the Quebec government was going to “see everything (that he) can do to help them find another job”, evoking, among other things, the construction sector.
– With information from Stéphane Rolland
