Prime Minister Mark Carney says he has received reassurances that Stellantis has plans for its Brampton plant, which closed earlier this year due to tariff uncertainty.
Carney says he spoke to the global head of Stellantis on Tuesday ahead of the car manufacturer’s announcement that it would be moving production of the Jeep Compass from Brampton’s Assembly Plant to the U.S.
“They’re looking at a different model being produced in Brampton,” he told reporters in Toronto Thursday. “That decision would be taken in the context of the finalization of the USMCA, to use the American term, CUSMA to use our term, negotiations.”
Stellantis, Carney says, also made commitments to provide support for workers. Carney told reporters Thursday that workers in Brampton will have the opportunity to move to Windsor where a new shift is being added.
The federal government has threatened legal action against Stellantis if it reneges on its “important commitments to Canada.”
While Carney did not specifically talk about the letter his Industry Minister Melanie Joly sent officials at Stellantis, he did say that the company has “exposure” if chooses not to follow through on commitments made to build vehicles and batteries in Canada.
“There is exposure of the company if they were not to follow through with those commitments for Brampton, restarting Brampton, the employment in Brampton, related commitments to their Windsor activities,” he said.
‘Now is the time to talk’
Carney’s press conference comes hours before he is scheduled to meet Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has called for stronger action against U.S. President Donald Trump.
“There’s times to hit back, and there’s times to talk,” Carney said when asked about Ford’s position. “Right now is the time to talk.”
The two leaders are expected to talk about tariffs, the auto sector, on-going trade negotiations with the United States and manufacturing.
