Unifor asks federal government to block Stellantis sale of Brampton plant to Roshel

Unifor’s national president Lana Payne sent a letter to Industry Minister Mélanie Joly urging Ottawa to intervene in Stellantis’ plan to sell its idle Brampton, Ontario assembly plant to Roshel, a Canadian armoured-vehicle manufacturer. Payne argued that the transaction would effectively abandon vehicle manufacturing at the site, putting more than 2,000 workers out of work and disrupting thousands of jobs at local supplier firms, with no comparable economic replacement.

Stellantis announced a memorandum of understanding with Roshel after suspending a retooling project that would have shifted Jeep production to the plant, a plan later moved to the United States. The plant’s future has become a focal point in collective-bargaining negotiations between Unifor and Stellantis, which face an impasse as their current agreement expires on Sept. 20. Payne also asked Joly to clarify whether Ottawa had been involved in earlier discussions about the plant and whether the MOU might breach any commitments made by Stellantis to the government.

Industry Minister Joly said the government will ensure Canadian workers are protected while encouraging the parties to continue negotiations. Roshel’s CEO Roman Shimonov said the company intends to create a Defence Manufacturing Centre and could rehire laid-off workers as early as 2026 through federal procurement programmes.