MONTREAL --
As the pandemic sends more and more Quebec shoppers online, the province launched the first steps of a program to encourage buying locally on Monday.
The Blue Basket program, which encourages residents to buy locally-sourced products, will receive a $900,000 investment from Mouvement Desjardins and the Banque Nationale to create a Quebec-oriented alternative to online retail giants. The move is one of 49 recommendations made in a Blue Basket report on the future of the province's retail sector.
Blue Basket general manager Alain Dumas said the objective is not to create a Quebec version of Amazon, but rather to present an option that “puts the retailer first” and would have search options that would allow a consumer to find their desired product via a local retailer.