Quebec

Truck manufacturer Paccar laid off 300 workers in Quebec. The layoffs were announced ahead of anticipated U.S. tariffs.

CAE is cutting 2% of its workforce as aviation demand weakens. The company is shifting focus toward defense growth opportunities.

As luxury online retailer Ssense battles for survival, the Montreal-based fashion company reported layoffs at their Chabanel St. and St-Laurent locations to the Quebec government last month, bringing the total number of layoffs to 215 since the company filed for bankruptcy protection in August. Ssense also reported 20 layoffs in February 2025 and 72 layoffs in May, bringing the total count to 307 in the last year.

South Shore Furniture, a Quebec-based furniture maker founded in 1940, is closing all operations and laying off all 126 employees. The company cited a 77% drop in sales between 2022 and 2025 due to cheap Asian furniture flooding the market and American tariffs impacting cross-border sales.

Eidos Montreal laid off 124 employees in its fourth round of cuts since March 2025, citing changing project needs and impacts across production and support teams. Studio head David Anfossi is also departing, with a transition plan underway for new leadership.

Eidos-Montréal laid off 124 employees on March 30, 2026, citing changing project needs and impacts across production and support teams. The layoffs represent part of a larger pattern, with the studio having cut approximately 300 roles since 2024.

Bestar Inc., a Quebec furniture maker owned by private equity firm Novacap, is shutting down its two factories in Quebec including the Lac-Mégantic plant and the Sherbrooke plant. Approximately 120 unionized workers in Lac-Mégantic will lose their jobs in addition to management employees, with a formal announcement expected on Thursday morning.

Smurfit Westrock will permanently close one paper machine at its La Tuque mill and an extrusion facility in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec, resulting in approximately 90 workforce reductions (30 at La Tuque and 60 at Pointe-aux-Trembles). The closure addresses ongoing scale and cost challenges with the paper machine's 127,000 ton annual production capacity of solid bleached sulfate (SBS) products.

Exo, the public transit authority operating commuter trains and buses across the greater Montreal area, is cutting 73 positions representing 11% of its workforce as part of a three-year optimization plan mandated by the Quebec government to reduce spending by $100 million annually by 2028. Management and customer service departments are expected to be hit hardest, with only 16% of the layoffs coming from vacant positions and the remainder involving elimination of currently occupied roles.

Ssense also reported 20 layoffs in February 2025 and 72 layoffs in May, bringing the total count to 307 in the last year.

Cirque du Soleil has announced layoffs affecting 70 employees at its Montreal headquarters. The cuts represent efforts to restructure operations at the entertainment company's main office.

Concordia University did not renew the contracts of 57 limited-term appointment professors as part of austerity measures and budget cuts affecting the institution. The layoffs are part of broader education sector budget cuts in Quebec, including a $570 million education budget cut for the 2025-26 school year.

Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway has had its Canadian operating licence suspended by the Canadian Transportation Agency, requiring the company to shut down all Canadian operations by August 20, 2026. The company has already laid off 24 employees in Quebec, representing just over one-quarter of its provincial workforce, with additional job losses expected in Farnham where the company operates an office and train yard.

Ssense also reported 20 layoffs in February 2025 and 72 layoffs in May, bringing the total count to 307 in the last year.

Batshaw Youth & Family Centres cut ten youth worker positions at the Centre de réadaptation jeunesse de Prévost in Quebec's Laurentians region. These layoffs eliminated 30 shifts per week, and staff members report that successive job cuts have impeded supervision of youth in their care.

EA has laid off developers across all four Battlefield Studios teams, including the Montreal-based Motive studio, despite Battlefield 6 being the best-selling game of 2025. The exact number of affected employees at each studio remains unclear, though EA stated the changes were made to better align teams around community priorities.