Stellantis sells idled Brampton plant to armoured-vehicle maker Roshel; union calls it a betrayal

Stellantis said on Monday (November 9) it has signed an asset purchase agreement to sell its idled Brampton Assembly Plant in Ontario, along with associated equipment, to Canadian defence technology company Roshel. The price was not disclosed and the deal is expected to close by the end of the year, subject to government and regulatory approvals. The union called the sale a betrayal; the federal government called the situation unacceptable.

Idle for almost three years as 2,200-plus workers wait

The 269-acre plant on Williams Parkway, with about 2.95 million square feet of manufacturing space, once built the Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger and Chrysler 300. Production stopped in December 2023 for retooling; the work was paused in 2025, and Stellantis later moved Jeep Compass production to Belvidere, Illinois, after the United States imposed tariffs on Canadian goods. About 2,200 to 2,300 members of Unifor Local 1285 have been on layoff since the shutdown, waiting to be recalled.

Roshel plans an advanced manufacturing centre

Roshel, based in Brampton, makes armoured vehicles including the Senator armoured personnel carrier. It plans to turn the plant into a centre of excellence for advanced manufacturing, producing tactical armoured vehicles and helping Canadian companies serve domestic and allied customers. Roshel said laid-off Brampton workers would get priority consideration for jobs, but would not transfer automatically. The two companies will also set up a strategic cooperation framework to explore collaboration on vehicle technologies and defence services. They signed a memorandum of understanding on September 11, the same day Stellantis's contract talks with Unifor broke down.

Union cries betrayal as Ottawa and the opposition press Stellantis

Unifor National President Lana Payne called the sale a betrayal and “an underhanded deal to sell the plant and walk away from its commitments to our members.” Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa said: “After three years of paid layoff, we remain committed to working with Unifor on a fair resolution.” The company said the sale is part of its FaSTLAne 2030 strategy and that it would negotiate a settlement to assist employees. Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said the sale “does not erase Stellantis' commitment to workers” and that she would convene a meeting this week with Unifor, Stellantis, the Ontario government and plant workers. Prime Minister Mark Carney called the situation “unacceptable”, saying Stellantis was violating its obligations under several agreements and that the government would enforce its rights.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre spoke outside the plant on Tuesday (November 10), calling on Carney to fire Joly, sue Stellantis to recover public money, fight for tariff-free auto trade, scrap electric vehicle mandates and remove the GST on Canadian-made vehicles. He said the government had given Stellantis $15 billion and that about 3,000 jobs were affected.

Sources: Reuters, The Canadian Press, Unifor statement, Stellantis–Roshel joint release, November 9–10, 2026.