Industry Minister Mélanie Joly’s office says the minister was not involved in negotiations that led Stellantis to sell its Brampton, Ont., assembly plant to Roshel.
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Industry Minister Mélanie Joly’s office says media reports saying she played an active role in negotiations leading to Stellantis selling its Brampton, Ont., assembly plant to defence contractor Roshel are false.
A spokesperson, Mathis Denis, said Wednesday evening that Joly “was involved in the deal is false,” adding that “The minister had no part in negotiating with Stellantis or Roshel on the deal,” and that “The minister was in a conflict resolution (role) between Stellantis and the union. That's it. The minister didn't meet Roshel.”
Denis said the minister took part in discussions between Stellantis and Unifor, which represents more than 9,000 Canadian workers for the automaker, to find a way forward after the company decided to move production previously earmarked for the Brampton plant to the United States.
He said the move, announced in October 2025, was in violation of Stellantis’ commitments to Ottawa tied to a federal commitment of up to $529 million through the Strategic Response Fund (SRF).
Denis said the minister’s office would respond if Stellantis moved forward with a sale or deal that did not honour its SRF commitment and did not have the union’s approval.
Joly’s office also pointed to statements by Prime Minister Mark Carney, who said on Tuesday that selling the Brampton plant “violates the obligations that Stellantis has under several agreements,” calling the move “unacceptable,” and describing it as a “betrayal” of workers and obligations to Canada.
Stellantis announced late Monday afternoon that it had sold the Brampton facility and associated equipment to Roshel for an undisclosed amount. The companies said they expect the transaction to close by the end of the year, subject to certain conditions, including government and regulatory requirements.
Roshel CEO Roman Shimonov has said his Brampton-based company is willing to hire back some of the 2,000 Stellantis employees who were laid off from the plant when operations halted in 2023.
The plant had been slated to be retooled for Jeep production starting early in 2024, but Stellantis paused that plan in early 2025 and later announced it was moving Jeep Compass production to Illinois, leaving the Brampton plant idled indefinitely.
Joly is set to convene a meeting Thursday in Toronto with Stellantis and Unifor leadership, along with Ontario Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli.
Denis said, “This is not the outcome we wanted and we have no choice but to find Stellantis in default of their obligation.”
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