Joly’s office denies she met Roshel before Stellantis deal; minister says she had no role in negotiations

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Industry Minister Mélanie Joly’s office is disputing media reports that characterized the federal government as having played an active role in negotiations that led to Stellantis selling its Brampton, Ont., assembly plant to defence contractor Roshel.

Mathis Denis, a spokesperson for Joly, said Wednesday evening that reporting that Joly “was involved in the deal is false.” He said “The minister had no part in negotiating with Stellantis or Roshel on the deal.”

Denis said Joly’s role was limited to a “conflict resolution” function between Stellantis and Unifor and that “The minister didn’t meet Roshel.” He added that Joly 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 Stellantis decided to move production previously earmarked for the Brampton plant to the United States.

Denis said the move, announced in October 2025, violated Stellantis’ commitments to Ottawa tied to a federal commitment of up to $529 million through the Strategic Response Fund (SRF). He said the government would use its tools to respond if Stellantis proceeded with a sale or deal that, in his view, did not honour SRF commitments and lacked the union’s approval.

Denis said, “Reporting that the minister was involved in the (Roshel) deal is false because the minister, the department and the team would have never approved or agreed to a deal that, first, did not honour their commitment under the SRF, but, second, lacked the union's approval,” and that Ottawa had already told Stellantis it would act if a proposed transaction did not honour the SRF.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said earlier this week that selling the Brampton plant “violates the obligations that Stellantis has under several agreements,” calling the move “unacceptable,” and said it was “a betrayal of the workers” and of obligations to Canada.

Stellantis announced the sale of the facility and associated equipment to Roshel for an undisclosed amount late Monday afternoon. The companies said they expect the transaction to close by the end of this year, subject to conditions including government and regulatory requirements.

Roshel CEO Roman Shimonov said his Brampton-based company is willing to hire back some of the 2,000 Stellantis employees who were laid off when the plant halted operations in 2023. The facility had been slated to be retooled for Jeep production beginning early in 2024, before Stellantis paused the plan in early 2025 and later moved production of the Jeep Compass to Illinois.

Denis said Joly is set to convene a meeting Thursday in Toronto with the leadership of Stellantis and Unifor, along with Ontario Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli. He said, “This is not the outcome we wanted and we have no choice but to find Stellantis in default of their obligation.”