Our coverage of Amazon’s sudden layoffs in Quebec helped bring attention to a major local issue that was making waves internationally. By giving a platform to voices like organizer and former Amazon worker Mostafa Henaway, we helped spark an important conversation and dialogue about labour rights, corporate power, and the fight for fair working conditions. The mass layoffs of nearly 2,000 workers across Amazon’s Quebec warehouses was allegedly not isolated or disconnected from other factors, but rather influenced by surrounding circumstances and prior similar events. Many suspected it was retaliation against unionization efforts, despite the company’s denial.
The episode featuring Henaway got over 300 views and positive feedback, with people saying it was informative, eye-opening and excellent. Furthermore, the way Amazon operates is not always transparent, and shedding light on the company’s practices gave many viewers a deeper understanding of what was at stake and the way it would impact workers' future and life conditions.
More importantly, the conversation did not stop there. Our coverage has kept the dialogue going. We have continued speaking with Henaway to follow up on what has happened since.
Beyond just online engagement, we also covered a follow-up protest in support of Quebec Amazon workers. That event gave us the opportunity to speak with more people, who are directly impacted by the layoffs, as well as labour organizers fighting for workers’ rights. While there, we also uncovered details about how employees were being treated, information that wasn’t being shared publicly, such as interfering with workers' ability to protest. By reporting on these hidden realities, we reinforced the importance of keeping a close watch on how corporations handle labour disputes and how easily workers’ voices can be silenced. It also showed the importance of collective action in pushing back.
By highlighting the connection between Amazon’s actions and corporate strategies designed to decimate union efforts, we helped put things into perspective for many.
One protester we spoke with made it clear that, while they didn’t have high hopes Amazon would reverse its decision, it was still crucial to show up and express outrage and raise awareness on the topic in any way we can. “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,” she told Local 514.
The discussion is still evolving, and our reporting played a role in keeping the momentum alive. The continued dialogue with Henaway, along with our ability to bring new information to light, shows how impactful local journalism can be in shaping public awareness and holding corporations accountable.
Additionally, our coverage was not just about reporting the news. It was about making sure workers’ struggles were not ignored, amplifying voices that are often silenced, and helping fuel a movement for change.
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About LJI
LJI Impact is the section of commediaportal.ca where the journalists and their organizations participating in CACTUS' Local Journalism Initiative can share their greatest successes.
Through the written stories, photos and videos you see in the LJI Impact section, you'll be able to read first hand accounts about how the presence of a community journalist is making a difference in communities across Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative and the Community Media Portal.
The Community Media Portal is a gateway to the audio-visual media created by community media centres across Canada. These include traditional community TV and radio stations, as well as online and new media production centres.
Community media are not-for-profit production hubs owned and operated by the communities they serve, established both to provide local content and reflection for their communities, as well as media training and access for ordinary citizens to the latest tools of media production, whether traditional TV and radio, social and online media, virtual reality, augmented reality or video games.
The Community Media Portal has been funded by the Local Journalism Initiative (the LJI) of the Department of Canadian Heritage, and administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) in association with the Fédération des télévisions communautaires autonomes du Québec (the Fédération). Under the LJI, over 100 journalists have been placed in underserved communities and asked to produce civic content that underpins Canadian democratic life.
