MONTREAL -- While the Quebec government has ordered all non-essential businesses to close until May 4, the Parti Quebecois wants to take matters a step further.
The PQ on Monday called on the Legault government to order all big-box stores that are remaining open during the COVID-19 pandemic to close any non-essential departments.
Only food, hardware and pharmacy sections in these retail stores should be allowed to remain open, the PQ said.
Keeping such sections open leads to an increase in shoppers in the stores - putting shoppers and staff at greater risk - the PQ argued, and also offers unnecessary competition to local small- and medium-sized businesses that are struggling during the pandemic.
Non-essential items would remain available on the stores' websites, the PQ added.
"At the start of the crisis, the decision to leave big box stores completely open was understandable: we had to allow everyone to get what they needed to start the period of confinement and follow the instructions," said Pascal Berube, the PQ's parliamentary leader. "But the time has now come to revise the list of priority services to adapt it to the reality of this prolonged crisis."
On Sunday, Quebec launched a new website, Le Panier Bleu, to encourage Quebecers to shop local during the COVID-19 pandemic.
