What the Canadian Labour Congress Said About the Stellantis Brampton Plant
A car assembly plant can sit quiet for years and still shape a whole city’s economy. That is the situation in Brampton, Ontario, where the Stellantis plant stopped operations in 2023 and more than 2,000 workers were laid off, according to The Canadian Press.
On November 10, 2026, Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), issued a statement on the planned sale of the Stellantis Brampton Assembly Plant. The CLC is the national voice of Canada’s unions, and its statement puts the federal government at the centre of the story.
Bruske said the federal government had promised Canadians it would defend their jobs and industries through the trade war. She said the plant’s sale would deal a major blow to industrial capacity that Canada built over decades.
Where the Sale Stands
The CLC statement refers to a planned sale, and the news moved quickly around it. Stellantis signed a memorandum of understanding in September with Roshel, a Brampton-based manufacturer of armoured vehicles, for a potential sale of the facility, as reported by The Canadian Press.
On November 9, 2026, Stellantis announced the sale to Roshel, which CTV News describes as a Canadian defence technology company. The sale is for an undisclosed amount, and the transaction is expected to close by the end of this year, according to CTV News.
Stellantis said the sale is part of its FaSTLAne 2030 strategy, which it describes as disciplined management of its manufacturing footprint. The company also said the deal creates a path to return the Brampton plant to productive industrial use, and that it remains committed to working with Unifor on a fair resolution.
What the CLC Wants Ottawa to Do
Bruske’s statement lays out specific requests for the federal government. She said Ottawa must hold Stellantis to its commitments and negotiate directly with Unifor on a plan to preserve auto assembly and good union jobs in Brampton.
She also named three tools she wants Ottawa to use: its regulatory powers, its public funding, and its purchasing power. The goal, she said, is to keep jobs and production in Canada.
Beyond this one plant, Bruske called for binding commitments from companies. She also said the government should enforce those commitments when companies try to walk away.
How Unifor and Stellantis Have Responded
Bruske said Canada’s unions stand with Unifor and its members. Unifor is the union that represents the Brampton workers, and its Local 1285 is the local tied to the plant.
Unifor National President Lana Payne told reporters on November 9 that Stellantis “has betrayed our members,” as reported by CTV News. Payne also described the sale as a continued breach of the company’s commitments to workers.
Unifor’s position is that allowing the sale to move forward breaks the federal government’s promise to protect auto workers. Stellantis, for its part, has pointed to its willingness to keep working with the union on a resolution.
The plant has also been a sticking point in current contract talks between Stellantis and Unifor, according to Windsor News Today. Two sides, two different readings of the same commitments, and no settlement reported yet.
Why the CLC Frames This as More Than One Plant
The CLC statement ties the Brampton sale to the wider trade war. Bruske said workers, their families and their communities would live with the loss long after the tariffs are lifted.
That framing explains why a labour federation, not just the local union, is speaking up. The CLC is asking how federal tools such as regulation, funding and procurement should be used when a manufacturer plans to leave a Canadian site.
Unifor has also raised questions in the past about forecasted plans for the Windsor Assembly Plant and the Etobicoke Casting Plant, as reported in September. Those concerns sit alongside the Brampton dispute, but they are separate issues.
What to Watch Next
Several things are worth tracking over the coming weeks. The first is whether the sale closes by the end of the year, as reported. The second is whether Ottawa opens direct talks with Unifor, as the CLC is asking.
The third is whether the federal government announces any new requirements or enforcement steps for companies with commitments in Canada. Contract negotiations between Stellantis and Unifor are another thread to follow.
If you are a journalist or researcher who wants to speak with the CLC, the statement lists CLC Media Relations at media@clcctc.ca or 613-526-7426. For the latest positions, check the Canadian Labour Congress and Unifor websites directly, since details in a fast-moving story can change from one day to the next.
