Protesters in Montreal Condemn Amazon’s Quebec Layoffs

On February 5, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Laval to protest Amazon’s decision to lay off 3,500 workers across Quebec. The march, organized by STTAL-CSN and the Ici, on boycotte Amazon campaign, culminated in front of the DXT4 warehouse, where speeches were delivered denouncing the closures and calling for solidarity among workers.

Amazon claims the shutdowns are unrelated to union activity, but the announcement coincided with a scheduled negotiation session, fueling suspicions of retaliation. Protesters argue the move is part of a broader corporate strategy to undermine labor rights and weaken union efforts.

Ahead of the demonstration, over 35 volunteers spent an evening creating banners and signs to amplify the message. Many see the layoffs as an attack on the labor movement as a whole, urging collective resistance and continued pressure on the company.

One protester interviewed by Local 514 voiced skepticism that Amazon would reconsider its decision but stressed the importance of public outrage: “We think that it is very important to be a lot of people [outside] to express our indignation, our anger because that is so ignoble. It's such a bad move, it's such an evil move. [...] And [we are] against the willingness of the enterprises to exploit more and more the workers, just to put more and more money in their pockets.”

The demonstration highlighted growing frustration with corporate power and the need to defend workers’ rights against what protesters call a blatant act of union-busting. Organizers vowed to keep fighting, emphasizing that this protest was only the beginning of ongoing mobilization efforts.