Canada has threatened to sue carmaker Stellantis over the planned sale of the Stellantis Brampton plant in Ontario, after the company shifted planned vehicle production to the United States and agreed to sell the idled assembly plant to defence contractor Roshel.
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said on Thursday, 12 November 2026, that Ottawa had issued Stellantis a formal notice of default over a 2022 funding agreement, giving the world’s fourth-largest carmaker 30 days to address the alleged breaches or face legal action.
FAKTA
- Announcement: Thursday, 12 November 2026, by Industry Minister Mélanie Joly
- Action: Formal notice of default, with 30 days to remedy the alleged breaches; a response is sought by 12 December
- Funding deal: 2022 agreement worth up to C$529 million from Ottawa and C$513 million from Ontario to retool the Brampton and Windsor plants
- Money disbursed: About C$222 million as of December 2025, including at least C$55 million tied to Windsor
- Stellantis offer: To voluntarily return C$24 million in federal support received for the Brampton retooling plan
- The plant: Idle since 2023; the planned Jeep Compass was moved to production in Illinois
- The sale: Agreed on 9 November to Canadian armoured-vehicle maker Roshel, for an undisclosed amount
Why the Stellantis Brampton Plant Matters
The Brampton plant employs about 3,000 people but has been idle since 2023, when production stopped so the facility could be retooled to build the Jeep Compass. Production was slated to begin in 2026, but the retooling was halted after Stellantis announced in October 2025 that it would build the Compass in the United States.
Stellantis had scrapped plans to build the Jeep Compass at Brampton and shifted future production to a factory in Illinois amid US auto tariffs and other market pressures. The move left more than 2,000 Canadian workers without jobs, and the union has described the sale as the first auto plant to fall in the US-Canada trade war.
What Ottawa Says Stellantis Did Wrong
Joly said Stellantis violated its contractual commitments to the Canadian government and to workers by announcing the agreement to sell the plant to Roshel earlier in the week. In a letter to Trevor Longley, chief executive of Stellantis Canada, she said the planned sale showed the company was no longer negotiating in good faith.
The letter identifies several alleged breaches, including suspending the Brampton retooling on 20 February 2025, relocating planned Compass production, failing or refusing to identify a replacement vehicle, not maintaining any production at the facility, and closing the plant. The agreement says the plant cannot be sold before 2033 unless specified conditions render it commercially unviable.
“We sent a notice of default and, basically, they have 30 days or else. Of course, we’ll sue them,” Joly told reporters in Toronto. Prime Minister Mark Carney has described the situation at the Brampton plant as “unacceptable” and a “betrayal” of its workers.
Stellantis Offers to Return $24 Million
Stellantis Canada said it would voluntarily return the $24 million in federal government support received for Brampton’s original retooling plan. The figure falls well below the government’s estimate of what the company owes, and Ottawa says it could demand repayment of all or part of the funding received, plus interest, and could terminate the 2022 agreement outright.
A Deal to Stop the Sale?
A day after threatening to sue, Joly said she was still hopeful she could prevent the company from selling the plant, telling reporters Ottawa had “put an aggressive package to Stellantis to prevent the sale and we are still in solution mode to prevent the sale.” Federal and Ontario officials plan to meet with Stellantis’ global chief executive.
Workers at the plant’s union, Unifor, voted last month with 97.3 per cent of members who took part in favour of authorising a potential labour action. The sale to Roshel is expected to close by the end of this year.
Conclusion
The dispute over the Brampton plant has become a test of how far Canada will go to defend auto jobs and public funding in its trade dispute with the United States. With a 30-day deadline running and talks continuing, both sides still have room to reach a deal, but Ottawa has made clear that it is prepared to go to court if they do not.
