Prime Minister Mark Carney criticized Stellantis's agreement to sell its idled Brampton plant to defence contractor Roshel, calling it a betrayal. Stellantis has offered to return government support for the plant's original retooling plan.
Prime Minister Mark Carney called Stellantis's agreement to sell its idled Brampton, Ontario, assembly plant to Canadian defence contractor Roshel a betrayal of workers and of Canada.
Carney said the situation is unacceptable and violates Stellantis's obligations under several agreements.
"The situation in the Brampton plant is unacceptable," Carney said. "It violates the obligations that Stellantis has under several agreements, but to be more fundamental, it’s a betrayal of the workers as it is a betrayal of the obligations to Canada and by extension to all Canadians."
Carney also said the government will fully enforce its rights in protection of workers and Canadian funds.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called for Industry Minister Mélanie Joly’s dismissal and demanded the return of taxpayer funding.
Stellantis said it had offered to "voluntarily return the government support received for Brampton Assembly’s original retooling plan." The company did not disclose an amount.
Ottawa pledged up to $529 million in 2022 to support retooling at Stellantis plants in Brampton and Windsor. The report said $222 million was paid to Stellantis’ Canadian operations between 2023 and 2025, although an updated total was unavailable.
More than 2,000 employees were laid off when Brampton stopped production in 2023.
Under the agreement announced Monday, Roshel plans to establish an advanced manufacturing centre at the site. However, its CEO has declined to assume responsibility for rehiring all Stellantis employees.
Joly will meet Stellantis, Unifor and provincial representatives in Toronto on Thursday. The proposed sale remains subject to government and regulatory conditions, with closing expected by the end of 2026.
Unifor National President Lana Payne condemned the sale, saying Stellantis had abandoned its commitments to workers.
The sale of the Brampton plant to a defence contractor has triggered a political dispute over public funding, job losses, and whether Stellantis met its commitments to Canadian workers and governments.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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