Amazon closures in Quebec lead to additional layoffs of service partners, 4,500 people lost their job
Posted January 31, 2025 4:49 pm.
After Amazon announced last week it was closing its operations in Quebec, laying off roughly 2,000 employees, it seems the number of people losing their jobs is much higher.
According to Quebec’s Labour Ministry, an additional 2,500 other people employed by smaller carriers subcontracted by the company have also lost their jobs.
The latest figures balloon the layoff number to 4,500 workers.
The province says it received notices of mass layoffs from 23 logistics and transport companies linked to Amazon, working as delivery service partners.
CityNews reached out to Amazon on Friday afternoon, but did not hear back in time for publication.
Amazon spokesperson Barbara Agrait previously said: “Following a recent review of our Quebec operations, we’ve seen that returning to a third-party delivery model supported by local small businesses, similar to what we had until 2020, will allow us to provide the same great service and even more savings to our customers over the long run.”
It means the company would be supported by small local businesses instead of having seven warehouses and their own trucks and employees on the road.
Impacted employees were offered a package that includes up to 14 weeks’ pay after facilities close and transitional benefits, like job placement resources.
The company had said the layoffs would take place gradually over the next two months.
Following the announcement, federal industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, had said he wanted to meet with Amazon to discuss the shutdown.
A meeting hasn’t been held yet.
Amazon spokesperson Steve Kelly wrote in a statement to CityNews last week: “We regularly have discussions with officials across Canada to discuss matters of interest. However, when we make operational decisions like this, we generally share the news first with employees and then officials. We’re happy to discuss this matter further with Minister Champagne and other officials in Quebec and Canada.”
