Unifor’s national leader urges the Canadian government to hold Stellantis accountable for its promises to Canada and its automotive workforce. Lana Payne commented on Industry Minister Mélanie Joly’s commitment to reclaim some tax incentives granted to the automaker. She praised the recent actions taken by the minister, particularly regarding the tariff remission plan, emphasizing that companies like Stellantis cannot avoid tariffs for importing vehicles after failing to uphold their obligations to Canadian workers.

Canada initiated a dispute resolution process following Stellantis’ decision to relocate jobs related to the new Jeep Compass model from its Ontario plant to a facility in Illinois. The 30-day period for resolution began on October 20 when the government notified Stellantis of the proceedings. Stellantis clarified that the Brampton plant is currently paused, not shut down, and asserted that no jobs have been eliminated.

In addition to the ongoing dispute resolution process, Payne advocated for Ottawa to utilize all available tools to retain production in Canada, especially in the absence of a new trade agreement with the United States. She emphasized the critical importance of the automotive sector to the country’s economy and stressed the necessity of holding companies to their commitments.

Previously, the Ontario and Canadian governments pledged substantial subsidies to Stellantis under agreements, including a significant investment to establish an electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in Windsor in partnership with LG Energy Solution. They also committed to retooling the Windsor and Brampton factories for EV manufacturing to secure the future of automotive production in the region.