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The Honourable Mélanie Joly
Minister of Industry
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
Dear Minister Joly,
As you are aware, contract talks toward a renewal collective agreement between our union and Stellantis are currently at an impasse. The impasse is a result of many intersecting issues at the bargaining table but mostly centre on the future of the Brampton Assembly Plant.
On August 12, 2026, Stellantis informed Unifor that it was seriously considering the closure and sale of the Brampton Assembly Plant. More recently, the company publicly confirmed it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Roshel, a defence contractor, regarding the sale of the plant. These developments, taking place during collective bargaining negotiations, have complicated the path toward reaching a tentative settlement.
The company has been persistent during these negotiations in its view that there is no alternative, other than the closure and sale of the Brampton Plant to a third party. Unifor does not accept this position.
If successful in its attempts to sell the plant, Stellantis will have abandoned vehicle assembly at the Brampton facility, reducing its Canadian auto assembly footprint. The removal of auto assembly from Brampton means it is unlikely ever to return. This decision will impact more than 2,000 high-paid, union workers and hundreds of supplier firms, employing thousands in proximity to the plant. There is no comparable economic replacement for this work. Canada’s economy will be worse-off as a result. I cannot state this in any clearer terms.
It is incumbent on the federal government to do everything possible to prevent this outcome. When Stellantis announced its decision to relocate contractually committed Jeep production to the United States, in October 2025, your response was strong, determined and decisive. You committed to support Canada’s autoworkers – a message that was well-received by Unifor members. You also invited Unifor leadership to attend a series of initial, multi-party meetings involving federal and provincial government officials and Stellantis representatives, prior to initiating the formal dispute resolution process.
At the time of its relocation of the Jeep Compass announcement, Stellantis committed publicly to having “plans” for Brampton, and that those plans would be subject to ongoing discussions with the Canadian government. Stellantis has stated many times since then its commitment to the Brampton plant right up to and leading into contract negotiations with our union this summer.
According to public reports of the financial covenants struck between Stellantis and the federal government, any deviation from the promised investment would require the company to undertake efforts to explore alternative mandates for the plant.
We cannot accept that the closure and sale of the Brampton plant is the outcome of a year-long government-led exercise to protect autoworkers and auto capacity in this country.
The Stellantis proposal to sell the plant to a non-automaker never should have been considered in the first place and should be met with fierce resistance from the federal government.
Not only does this proposal present a disaster-scenario for the Canadian auto industry and the broader industrial economy, but it has also hindered our progress at the collective bargaining table and complicated the path to reaching a settlement. The full ramifications of this decision remain unclear.
Minister, of significant concern to Unifor is not knowing what role, if any, the federal government played in this outcome. Our understanding is that any plan for Brampton’s future was subject to discussions with your office. For the company to table a closure and sale plan to our Master Bargaining Committee, it can only leave us with the impression that this would have already been discussed with the federal government.
The question is does the MOU entered into by Stellantis and Roshel breach the conditions of the commitment made by Stellantis to the federal government? It appears so, since the initial commitment by Stellantis was to maintain its full Canadian production footprint. We would also argue it certainly breaches the conditions of our collective agreement with Stellantis, given the promised product commitment for the plant.
The idea Canada would concede defeat on one of its remaining vehicle assembly plants is unfathomable. That it would agree to allow a global OEM to walk-away from its commitment to the plant is incomprehensible. There is a myriad of options to have been considered, including options outside of a new product mandate for the plant. The least viable plan would be to let Stellantis walk away.
As we continue to explore a resolution to the breakdown in negotiations between our union and Stellantis, we are seeking further information as to what transpired in talks between the federal government and Stellantis, and Roshel.
In that regard, I ask that your office provide answers to the following questions:
- Do you consider Stellantis’ proposed plan to sell the Brampton Assembly Plant to Roshel a resolution to the formal dispute and notice of default served to the company in December of last year? Or do you consider the sale of the plant a continued breach of your contract with Stellantis?
- Public records confirm a lobby firm representing Roshel met with industry ministry staff several times in the month of August. Did these meetings include discussion about Roshel’s intent to purchase the Brampton Assembly Plant?
- Have you or other representatives of the Canadian government indicated your support of the proposed plan by Roshel to purchase the Brampton Assembly Plant?
- Is the federal government a party to the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Stellantis and Roshel? If not, is the government aware of the MOU’s contents given the ongoing dispute between the federal government and Stellantis?
- What were the other options, if any, presented to you and your staff by Stellantis regarding the future of the Brampton Assembly Plant? If other options were presented, did any involve plans for direct investment by Stellantis into the Brampton plant, or did all involve the purchase of the plant by third parties?
I would appreciate a timely response to this letter. Unifor is currently assessing all options in which to address the current impasse in contract negotiations. Unifor is also continuing its advocacy to safeguard current and future vehicle assembly capacity at Brampton and all throughout Canada.
I can make myself available to meet with you at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Lana Payne
National President
