'My colleagues simply couldn't believe it,' says workers after company shuts down factories
Parks Canada in Quebec is facing criticism after encouraging workers to buy from Amazon.
This follow the retail giant’s announcement that it will be closing all its branches in the province.
On Monday, Parks Canada sent an email to workers about a partnership with the e-commerce company that would provide workers with perks.
“We are pleased to announce that Parks Canada has established a business account with Amazon for the purchase of low-value goods," reads the letter, according to Noovo Info, which obtained a copy of the email. "This new program simplifies your purchasing process and allows you to take advantage of the vast selection of products and competitive prices that Amazon offers."
Under the deal, managers can make purchases up to $10,000 with the Parks Canada purchasing card, without having to issue a call for tenders. The limit is $5,000 for other employees, according to the report.
The email follows the move by Amazon Canada to shut down all seven of its Quebec warehouses, resulting in the loss of 1,700 permanent jobs and 250 temporary positions over the next two months.
The closures signify Amazon's return to a pre-2020 business model in Quebec, which relied on local third-party companies for package deliveries, says Noovo Info. The shift follows the successful unionization of about 240 workers at the DXT4 warehouse in Laval, Quebec, in May.
"My colleagues simply couldn't believe it," said one Parks Canada employee about the email, according to Noovo Info.
André-Philippe Doré, spokesperson for the group "Ici, on boycott Amazon", also said that the move comes at a “bad timing, to say the least,” according to the report.
“Amazon's actions are a frontal attack on the rights of the people of Canada and it is unacceptable for a government institution to act in this way. The federal government must bring the multinational Amazon into line. If it refuses to obey, it must reimburse all the public money it has received, compensate the workers for the harm caused, and cease its activities in Quebec,” he said.
“If the federal government is concerned that the people of Quebec and the 4,500 workers who were fired be respected, it seems to be off to a bad start. We must, as workers and citizens, put pressure on the government to act in our interests."
However, Parks Canada has backtracked on its promotion of Amazon, acknowledging that the email regarding the procurement program was “not appropriate,” Parks Canada told Noovo Info via email.
“Parks Canada is rescinding this directive with immediate effect and will notify employees of this decision.” The email also admitted that the promotion displays "insensitivity" to "the current dynamic."
On Tuesday, the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) launched a boycott campaign against the e-commerce giant, calling on the public and politicians to demonstrate on Feb. 15.
“There are 450 agencies in the federal government, and maybe the memo hasn’t made it everywhere,” said CSN President Caroline Senneville, in the Noovo Info report, adding she knows a few federal ministers “who won’t be happy about this.”
As of March 31, 2023, Parks Canada had 5,889 employees, spread across 14 occupational groups, according to Noovo Info.
Amazon closures have drawn attention to an ongoing unionization effort at a company warehouse in Delta, B.C. Unifor applied to certify the facility last year, but the vote results remain sealed due to an unfair labour practices complaint filed by the union.
