Pfizer to cut 300 jobs, mostly at Montreal office

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has announced it's cutting about 300 jobs across Canada, most of them in Montreal.

Julie-Catherine Racine, a spokesman for Pfizer Canada, said Sunday that the cuts will be spread across several locations but the majority will be at the company's headquarters in the Montreal suburb of Kirkland.

"After an extensive and rigorous review of our organizational structure and of the competencies required for the future, I can confirm that Pfizer in Canada has undergone a restructuring in various parts of its Canadian business," Racine said in a statement.

In total, about 11 per cent of the company's total Canadian workforce will be eliminated, she said.

The company recently completed a $31.7-million upgrade to its Montreal manufacturing and distribution centre. The Quebec government contributed $2.7 million to that project.

Pfizer employs 2,700 people across Canada, including 1,800 in Quebec.