Shortly before the official launch of the election campaign, Québec solidaire (QS) launched its online store, which quickly caused controversy because of the price of the items and their origin.
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It is now possible to buy items in the solidarity colors, be it t-shirts, cotton sweaters, bags or even socks.
If the cotton sweaters and bags are made in Quebec and made of organic cotton and recyclable material, this is not the case for all items.
The socks, available for $20, come from the United States, while the t-shirts are made by our neighbors to the south, but printed in Montreal.
By email, the party indicated that production in Quebec had been prioritized, “but was not possible in certain situations, in particular because of production delays”.
“In these cases, the products were made in Canada or the United States, and we ensured good working conditions in each of the production locations,” said Camila Rodriguez-Cea, QS press officer.
The products are also screen printed in Montreal in a unionized company.
The price of the items is also controversial, as it is possible to get your hands on a cotton sweater for $60, a long-sleeved sweater for $36, a t-shirt for $32 and a bag for $18.
On this point, QS clarified that “the items are produced on demand to avoid waste” and that the party “does not make a profit from the sales”.