“Selling that plant in the middle of a trade war, and in the middle of collective bargaining, is indefensible,” Payne said.
The plant has sat idle since 2023, after Stellantis paused a planned Jeep Compass retooling and later moved that work to the U.S. Greg Layson, online editor at Automotive News Canada, ties the Brampton commitments to a $15-billion performance incentive from the federal and Ontario governments.
Payne said Unifor prefers a settlement without strike action, though it “remains a real possibility” as the Sept. 20 deadline nears. Joly says her office is applying “maximum pressure” on Stellantis.
Bargaining stalls as sale talks surface
The impasse traces back to Sept. 11, 2026, when Stellantis signed its MOU with Roshel, a Canadian armoured vehicle maker, over a possible sale of the idled Brampton plant. Unifor spokesperson Kathleen O’Keefe said the proposal “has hindered the bargaining process,” warning a closure and sale “threaten the wages, pensions and other benefits of Unifor members,” according to a previous CBC report.
Trevor Longley, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Stellantis Canada in Windsor, Ont., framed the arrangement differently, saying Roshel “represents a strong path to restoring sustainable operations at Brampton Assembly, preserving the site’s strategic role in Canada’s advanced manufacturing sector,” acording to the same report.