Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed that the decision by Stellantis to close its Brampton, Ontario plant is a profound betrayal to the nation and its citizens.
During a statement in Montreal on Tuesday, Carney remarked, “The conditions at the Brampton facility are intolerable.”
He continued, “This action breaches the commitments Stellantis has made under various agreements. More fundamentally, it represents a betrayal of the workers, as well as a violation of their obligations to Canada and, by extension, to all Canadians.”
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre attributed the closure to the Liberal government’s negligence and urged Carney to dismiss Industry Minister Mélanie Joly for her management of the situation.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre addresses the media during a news conference on Tuesday near the Stellantis assembly plant. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press)
Poilievre stated, “The Liberal strategy has not succeeded in retaining jobs from Stellantis to Stelco. In both scenarios, the Liberals assured they would restore the jobs.”
He added, “Today, the Official Opposition demands that the Liberal Prime Minister dismiss his ineffective, expensive, job-eliminating Industry Minister.”
Stelco, owned by Cleveland-Cliffs, a U.S. firm, announced in September plans to lay off hundreds of Ontario steelworkers, despite prior commitments to maintain unionized workforce levels until 2024 for three additional years.
Both Canadian steel and automotive sectors are affected by tariffs imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre urges the dismissal of Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, criticizing her management of Ontario’s struggling steel and automotive industries, claiming the Liberal strategy has failed to protect jobs.
In support of Joly, Carney stated that she is performing “an exceptional job under challenging circumstances,” and emphasized that she will continue to advocate for the workers.
Carney remarked, “The problem lies not with the outstanding efforts of Industry Minister Joly and her team, but rather with the actions of the company in relation to its employees.”
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Joly mentioned that her office has been in discussions with Stellantis and Unifor, the union representing the Brampton plant workers, for over a year in an effort to find a resolution, but without success.
She stated, “Stellantis has chosen to breach its contract, which is why we will… employ the full extent of the law to ensure job protection and restore justice for these workers.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney described the situation at Stellantis as ‘unacceptable’ as the assembly plant in Brampton, Ontario is poised to be acquired by a Canadian armoured vehicle manufacturer. He asserted, ‘We will fully enforce our rights’ to protect workers and Canadian investments, though specifics were not provided.
In a 2022 agreement announced by the Trudeau administration, the federal government pledged to invest up to $529 million in Stellantis facilities located in Brampton and Windsor, Ontario, to assist in retooling efforts aimed at increasing production of electric and gas-powered vehicles.
The agreement prohibited Stellantis from closing the Brampton assembly plant before 2035, unless faced with conditions beyond the automaker’s “reasonable control” that rendered the facility “commercially unviable.”
In 2023, over 2,000 workers were laid off from the Brampton plant when operations ceased for retooling to manufacture the Jeep Compass.
However, Stellantis suspended the retooling initiative in early 2025, announcing in October of that year that the Jeep Compass would instead be produced at the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois.
The fate of the Brampton plant remained uncertain until Monday, when Stellantis declared its intention to sell the facility to Canadian armoured vehicle manufacturer Roshel Inc., potentially with plans for Stellantis to lease back some of the property.
Feds contributed $222M to Stellantis
In a press release, Roshel CEO Roman Shimonov indicated that his company intends to transform the Brampton plant into “a new centre of excellence for advanced manufacturing.” However, during an interview with CBC News on Monday evening, he did not guarantee the return of Stellantis workers.
“We’re not assuming any responsibilities or obligations that Stellantis had in the past,” he informed host Hanomansing Tonight.
The Prime Minister stated that his administration plans to “fully enforce our rights to safeguard those workers and to ensure the protection of Canadian funds.”
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown conveyed to CBC News his desire to see a united Team Canada challenge against Trump’s efforts to undermine Canada’s auto industry.
Brown warned, “If we allow Stellantis to exit without consequence and disregard their legal commitments, it won’t be the last auto plant to close in Canada. This is truly the frontline in safeguarding auto jobs.”
On Thursday, Joly plans to convene a meeting of all stakeholders in Toronto to explore solutions for the displaced Stellantis workers.
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly indicates that she will gather stakeholders to discuss Stellantis, which intends to sell its idle assembly plant to an armoured vehicle manufacturer. Joly, whom Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre seeks to have removed, pledged to safeguard workers, stating that ‘patience has its limits.’
In December, CBC News confirmed that the federal government had allocated $222 million to Stellantis’ Canadian operations between 2023 and 2025. CBC News has requested an update from the federal government regarding the total amount but has not yet received a reply.
On Tuesday, Stellantis released a statement indicating its willingness to voluntarily repay the subsidies received.
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Feds allocated over $220M to Stellantis before Brampton closure decision, documents reveal
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Exclusive
Confidential contract between feds and Stellantis reveals terms for Brampton factory and workers
“We understand that Canadians expect transparency in the use of public funds, which is why Stellantis has offered to return the government support received for the original retooling of Brampton Assembly,” the company stated.
It also noted that “confidentiality clauses” prevent them from revealing additional details.
No funding from Ontario for Brampton: Ford
The 2022 agreement also included a commitment from Premier Doug Ford’s administration to support the plants with an investment of up to $513 million.
On Tuesday, CBC News confirmed that Ontario has not granted any funding to the company for the Brampton retooling project, as it did not fulfill criteria related to job creation and project milestones.
However, the company did receive $55 million for the Windsor facility from the Ford government.