The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that on Jan. 22, retail giant Amazon announced that it was shutting down its Quebec operations in the next few weeks, closing seven facilities and eliminating more than 1,700 jobs. Guest columnist Barry Eidlin writes that while the company maintained that the closings were the result of "a recent review of our Quebec operations," it is obvious what the real motive is: shutting down negotiations with the 230 unionized workers at its DXT4 warehouse in Laval. The Quebec Administrative Labour Tribunal certified the union in May of last year. Amazon shut all seven Quebec facilities to avoid legal challenges. According to a 2014 Supreme Court of Canada decision involving a shuttered Walmart store in Jonquière, it is a violation of the Quebec Labour Code for an employer to shut down a workplace to avoid negotiating with a union. Amazon's move sends a clear message. It shows just how far the company will go to retain sovereign control. Reverting to a subcontractor delivery model will likely incur costs in terms of lost sales, as Amazon's rationale for building its own warehouses in Quebec was to speed delivery and increase sales. Money is not the issue. The issue is control.