In the year preceding the end of the activities of the Blue Basket, a platform favoring Quebec merchants, the Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy (MEIE), led by Pierre Fitzgibbon, purchased for almost of $12,000 worth of various products on Amazon, from merchants located mainly in China.
Documents recently published on the MEIE website report 70 transactions concluded on the platform of the American multinational between 1er January and December 31, 2023.
Only one of these purchases was made from a Quebec merchant, namely the acquisition in September of a pair of headphones at a cost of $27.76, indicates information published following a request made in under the Act respecting access to documents held by public bodies.
More than half of the deals, 38, were with merchants located in China or Hong Kong. Eleven purchases were made from sellers located in Toronto, while the majority of the others were made from companies located in the United States.
Among the biggest expenses was the purchase of 139 combination locks for a total cost of $2,205.92, made in eight transactions on Amazon.
Around ten transactions were concluded on the platform for various connection cables to digital devices in 4K, HDMI or Ethernet format, in particular, for a sum amounting to $2,602.16.
In September, three transactions also purchased five yoga mattresses for $181.82. Nearly $360 was spent on two pairs of steel-toed safety shoes. The MEIE also purchased nine rolling television carts for a sum of $1,507.29. A can opener, a toaster, books and dish towels are also among the array of items acquired from Amazon in 2023.
Amazon cheaper
A spokesperson for the MEIE, Jean-Pierre D’Auteuil, said on Wednesday that these 70 transactions had been made on Amazon due to the availability and price of the products as well as their technical characteristics.
“The products sought on the Le Panier bleu platform did not meet the technical characteristics, the required availability and the lowest prices,” the spokesperson explained by email about the Quebec platform, which brought together up to the month last 600 merchants offering 250,000 products.
The MEIE was not able to quantify the amount of its purchases made last year via Le Panier bleu, an interface created during the pandemic by the government, which injected $22 million.
According to Mr. D’Auteuil, unlike Amazon, invoices for transactions carried out with Le Panier bleu do not systematically indicate that they were made through this platform.
The products sought on the Le Panier bleu platform did not meet the technical characteristics, the required availability and the lowest prices
“The ministry cannot therefore determine the suppliers used by the ministry who were active merchants on the Le Panier bleu platform,” he said. The ministry, however, confirms that it used the Blue Basket for the acquisition of various supplies. »
The MEIE, which does not have a purchasing policy on Amazon, ensures that it complies with the rules which prescribe that procurement be done through consolidated purchases from the Government Acquisition Center.
“The ministry used the Le Panier bleu or Amazon platform to acquire products which were not available or which did not meet the specific requirements in the available purchasing groups,” explained its spokesperson.
The purchase of a large quantity of padlocks was necessary due to rearrangements in the ministry’s offices in Quebec.
“Since the majority of offices are no longer assigned, personalized lockers are now made available to employees for their personal effects, hence the purchase of padlocks,” declared Mr. D’Auteuil.
As for the five yoga mats, they are used by MEIE employees.
“The mats were purchased to occasionally accommodate ministry employees who take, at their own expense, physical training classes during the lunch hour,” the spokesperson said in his written statement.
From the Blue Basket to Amazon
Launched in 2020, Le Panier bleu ceased operations in February due to low revenues, in a difficult economic context for the retail sector.
In the midst of a pandemic, the Minister of the Economy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, announced its creation in a burst of economic nationalism.
“I am very excited about the creation of this Panier bleu collective,” he declared. We are placing an important first stone for the foundation of a Quebec solidarity project which, I hope, will be recognized by all Quebecers. »
First an NPO, Le Panier bleu was then converted into a private company in 2021. Its shareholders included the state company Investissement Québec, the Fonds de solidarité FTQ and a subsidiary of Desjardins.
In February, a week before the end of the Blue Basket’s activities, Mr. Fitzgibbon was delighted to see that Amazon had decided to highlight Quebec products on its platform.
“Amazon, for me, is a very good platform,” he stressed. Many Quebec companies want to be there. »