Carney Calls Stellantis Sale of Brampton Plant a 'Betrayal' of Workers and of Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in Montreal on November 10 that automaker Stellantis's decision to sell its Brampton, Ontario, assembly plant to defence contractor Roshel was "unacceptable," saying the transaction violates the company's obligations 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 said. Stellantis confirmed on November 9 that it had signed an agreement to sell the Brampton plant and its equipment to Roshel, a defence technology company also based in Brampton, for an undisclosed amount. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year, subject to government and regulatory approvals.
The Brampton plant has been idled since December 2023, when production stopped for a retooling that was to build the next-generation Jeep Compass; more than 2,200 workers have been on layoff since. In 2025, after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on Canada's auto sector, Stellantis halted the retooling and shifted Compass production to Illinois, leaving the plant idle. In 2022, the federal government committed up to C$529 million to help Stellantis retool its Brampton and Windsor plants to produce electrified vehicles.
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said Stellantis had breached its contract and that she would pursue every available legal avenue. Lana Payne, national president of Unifor, the union representing Canadian autoworkers, called the sale an underhanded deal that betrayed the union's members and the company's commitments to the federal government, and urged Ottawa to block it.
Roshel builds armoured vehicles and has supplied at least 2,500 of them to Ukraine. Its chief executive, Roman Shimonov, said the company would give hiring priority to Brampton-area residents but would not take on responsibility for rehiring all Stellantis workers. Stellantis said it was prepared to negotiate a settlement with Unifor to assist affected employees. (Source: The Canadian Press)
Source: The Canadian Press
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：加拿大总理 Mark Carney 在欧洲议会发表演讲（资料图）。照片：欧洲议会官方照片，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaking at the European Parliament (file photo). Photo: European Parliament, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
