After Brampton auto plant closure, Poilievre demands Carney fire industry minister, CBC reports
Poilievre calls for Joly’s dismissal
Poilievre said the Liberal government should remove Joly from her post, arguing she had failed to prevent layoffs affecting auto and steel workers across Ontario. He also called for the government to sue Stellantis to recover Canadian tax dollars.
Carney defended Joly’s work, saying the central issue was the company’s conduct toward workers rather than the minister’s performance. He described the situation at the Brampton facility as unacceptable.
Brampton plant’s funding and future
Under a 2022 deal announced by the former Trudeau government, Ottawa agreed to provide up to $529 million for Stellantis plants in Windsor and Brampton. The funding was intended to help the automaker retool to make electric and gas-powered vehicles.
Stellantis paused the Brampton retooling plan in early 2025. In October of that year, the company said the Jeep Compass would instead be built at its Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois.
Commitments and public funding
The agreement barred Stellantis from closing the Brampton assembly plant before 2035, except in circumstances beyond its reasonable control that made the facility commercially unviable. Carney said the planned sale breached obligations under several agreements and amounted to a betrayal of workers and Canada.
Stellantis said it had offered to voluntarily return government support received for the Brampton retooling plan. CBC News confirmed Ontario provided no funding for that project because it did not meet job-creation and milestone conditions, while the company received $55 million from Ontario for its Windsor plant.
Key points
- Poilievre wants Joly fired and has called for a lawsuit to recover public funds from Stellantis.
- Stellantis announced it would sell its Brampton facility to Roshel Inc.
- Ottawa’s 2022 agreement offered up to $529 million for retooling in Brampton and Windsor.
- Ontario did not fund the Brampton retooling initiative, but provided $55 million for the Windsor plant.