Unifor urges government to prevent sale of Stellantis’ Brampton, Ont., plant

Unifor, the union representing Canadian workers at Stellantis, has called on the federal government to step in to prevent the potential sale of the Brampton, Ontario assembly plant to Canadian armoured vehicle maker Roshel. In a letter to Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, Unifor president Lana Payne warned that if the sale goes through, the company would be abandoning vehicle production at the plant, leaving over 2,000 workers unemployed and impacting nearby suppliers.

Payne emphasized that there is no comparable economic replacement for the jobs at stake, and that Canada's economy would suffer as a result. Stellantis recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Roshel for the potential sale of the Brampton facility, but the union claims that the two sides are now at an impasse. The current collective agreement is set to expire on September 20, 2026, and workers at the Brampton plant were laid off in 2023 when the company halted operations there.

Stellantis had planned to retool the plant for Jeep production, but the facility was later left idle after moving Jeep Compass production to the U.S. in 2025. Unifor argues that the proposed sale to a non-automaker should not have been considered and that the federal government should resist it fiercely. Stellantis Canada CEO Trevor Longley stated that the company believes Roshel is the best option for restoring sustainable operations and preserving the site's manufacturing capabilities.

Roshel CEO Roman Shimonov said the company plans to create a Canadian Centre of Excellence for Defence Manufacturing, employ laid-off workers through the federal government's Light Utility Vehicles procurement program, and bring over 2,000 jobs back to Canada, including the production of ballistic steel.