Ontario Premier Doug Ford and federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly are urging Stellantis to introduce a new vehicle model at its inactive Brampton, Ontario assembly plant following the automaker’s memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a potential sale. Last Friday, Stellantis disclosed the MOU with Canadian armored vehicle manufacturer Roshel concerning the Brampton facility. Speaking at a news conference in Toronto, Joly assured that Canadian workers would be safeguarded in any potential sale but emphasized the government’s expectation for more cooperation from Stellantis.
“We are advocating for a new model from Stellantis at the Brampton plant, and we will apply maximum pressure to ensure that outcome. If they fail to deliver, we will demand our investment back,” stated Joly. Premier Ford echoed Joly’s sentiments by emphasizing the need for a fresh model at the plant, praising the exceptional skills of Canadian auto workers. Stellantis, with a workforce of over 11,000 in Ontario, plays a vital role in the province’s economic landscape, and the government aims to enhance this contribution.
The future of the Brampton plant has raised concerns, particularly with Unifor, the labor union representing plant employees, as talks for a new collective agreement have reached an impasse. With the current agreement set to expire soon, Unifor’s National President Lana Payne highlighted that a potential sale to a non-automaker, as proposed by Stellantis, would negatively impact more than 2,000 workers. Payne urged the federal government to intervene and prevent such a scenario, emphasizing strong opposition to the sale proposal.
Stellantis had initially halted operations at the Brampton plant in 2023 to prepare for Jeep Compass production, only to later redirect this production to the U.S. This decision led to a sharp response from the federal government, which threatened legal action to enforce commitments made by Stellantis as part of an agreement with the federal and provincial governments. These commitments included meeting production targets at the Brampton plant in exchange for a substantial performance incentive from Ottawa and Ontario. The recent developments, including the MOU with Roshel, have raised uncertainties about the future of the plant and the livelihoods of its workers.