Unifor’s national leader urges the Canadian government to uphold Stellantis’s prior commitments to Canada and its automotive workforce. Lana Payne reacted to Industry Minister Mélanie Joly’s statement to a parliamentary committee about attempting to recover some of the tax benefits given to the automaker. Payne praised the recent actions taken by the minister, particularly regarding the tariff remission plan, emphasizing that companies should not be able to import vehicles duty-free after reneging on promises to Canadian workers.
Recently, Canada initiated a dispute resolution process following Stellantis’s decision to relocate jobs related to the new Jeep Compass model from its Ontario facility to a plant in Illinois. The 30-day period for the resolution process commenced on Oct. 20 when the government notified Stellantis. However, Stellantis clarified that the Brampton plant is currently on pause, not permanently closed, and insisted that no jobs have been lost.
Payne emphasized the importance of leveraging all available tools beyond the dispute resolution process to keep manufacturing operations in Canada. She highlighted the necessity of taking a firm stance to prevent further production shifts abroad, stressing the critical role of the automotive sector in the country’s economy and the significance of enforcing corporate commitments.
Both the Ontario and federal governments had previously committed substantial subsidies to Stellantis under agreements, including a significant investment to construct an electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in Windsor in collaboration with LG Energy Solution. Additionally, funds were allocated to modernize the Windsor and Brampton plants for EV production, underscoring the importance of maintaining a strong automotive industry presence in the region.