Ontario Premier Doug Ford is expected to join federal officials, Unifor and Stellantis for talks Thursday over the sale of the automaker’s idled Brampton assembly plant and its obligations under public funding agreements, Global News reports.

Unifor said the meeting will take place at a downtown Toronto hotel. The union, which represents more than 9,000 Stellantis workers across Canada, has condemned the plant’s sale to Canadian defence manufacturer Roshel.

The union says the takeover jeopardizes the jobs of more than 2,000 laid-off Brampton workers who have been waiting to return since production stopped in 2023. Financial terms of the sale have not been disclosed.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has criticized the sale and said Ottawa intends to “enforce our rights, absolutely, in protection of those workers.” Global News reported that his remarks suggested an action plan would be discussed at Thursday’s meeting.

A central question is whether Stellantis must fulfil commitments attached to government support for its Ontario operations. According to Global News, a 2023 agreement required the company to maintain its provincial footprint, including Brampton, through 2035.

That agreement involved a joint federal-Ontario commitment of $1.5 billion over 10 years in performance incentives to revive an electric-vehicle battery facility in Windsor and prevent its relocation to the United States. It came on top of a billion-dollar pledge from the two governments to upgrade production lines for electric vehicles. Ontario pledged $132 million toward Brampton’s retooling.

Stellantis told Global News it recognizes Canadians expect accountability for public funding and has offered to voluntarily return government support received for Brampton’s original retooling plan. The company said confidentiality provisions prevent it from providing further details.

Public records cited by Global News show Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development paid FCA Canada, now Stellantis, $55.4 million between 2022 and 2025. How much was specifically allocated to Brampton upgrades remains unclear.

The talks also follow an October strike-mandate vote in which 97.3 per cent of participating Stellantis workers voted in favour. Unifor said a strike would be a last resort, but bargaining had reached an impasse over issues including job security.

Sources