Global News reported that New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh said of the closures: “What is happening in Quebec is very clearly Amazon trying to union-bust. These are workers that were trying to unionize, and Amazon is shutting down operations in the complete region, just to stop them from demanding fairness."

Canada has warned Amazon.com that it is reviewing business ties with the company’s cloud-computing unit following Amazon’s decision to shut down its warehouses in Quebec, leading to the layoff of 1,700 workers.

A Canadian union that successfully unionized one warehouse accused the company of closing its sites to fend off organizing efforts in the region.

Amazon on Wednesday said it is exiting its operations in the Canadian province of Quebec, leading to the loss of about 1,700 full-time jobs.

E-commerce giant Amazon.com is exiting its operations in Quebec, leading to the loss of about 1,700 full-time jobs, a company spokesperson said on Wednesday. The online retailer will phase out operations across seven sites in the province—the only location in Canada with unionized Amazon employees —over the next two months.

Canada’s industry minister said Amazon.com Inc.’s decision to shut down all warehouses in Quebec and cut close to 2,000 jobs would prompt the government to examine its current deals with the e-commerce and technology company.

However, some Quebecers are responding 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.