February 12, 2026 1:41 PM, EST
The Stellantis Brampton Assembly Plant in Ontario. (Laura Proctor/Bloomberg)
Stellantis NV is currently discussing with the Canadian government and union about the future of its closed factory in Brampton, Ontario, according to the automaker’s CEO in Canada.
The company aims “to find a sustainable option for Brampton” after shifting production of the Jeep Compass SUV to the U. S., Stellantis Canada CEO Trevor Longley shared on BNN Bloomberg TV on Feb. 12.
“The reality is that we want to build cars in Brampton. We’ve been making cars in Canada for 100 years and we want to continue making cars in Canada for the next 100,” he said during an interview at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto.
“We are working proactively with our government,” as well as with Unifor, which represents Brampton workers, he noted. “That means that we find solutions for the tariff situations that have been imposed.”
Stellantis announced back in October that it was moving production from Brampton to Illinois as part of a $13 billion investment plan aimed at boosting its U. S. operations and avoiding tariffs. This shift has impacted 3,000 Canadian workers who were employed at the plant.
Following this move, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government reduced the number of U. S.-made vehicles that Stellantis can import without facing counter-tariffs. Carney implemented these retaliatory tariffs last year due to Trump’s tariff actions but exempted companies committed to producing and investing in Canada.
Longley mentioned that they are still considering future products for the factory.
Industry Minister Melanie Joly has threatened legal action against Stellantis over the production shift and has promised to recover Canadian taxpayer money provided as financial aid to the company.
Last week, Carney introduced his government’s new automotive strategy focused on protecting and attracting investments from car manufacturers. The plan suggests revamping the tariff remission program so automakers building vehicles in Canada receive import credits. These credits can be utilized for bringing vehicles from the U. S. without tariffs and can also be traded among companies.
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Longley stated more details regarding this plan are necessary before assessing it fully but noted that “anything that protects Canadian industry and Canadian auto production, I think is a positive move.”
“For many years, it’s been more cost-effective to import cars into Canada than it is to make them here, and obviously we’ve been heavily invested in this country and we want to ensure that we can keep doing that well into the future,” he added.
The Stellantis executive also commented on Carney’s agreement with China allowing 49,000 electric vehicles into Canada at a lower tariff rate of 6.1%. Longley expressed support for increased competition but raised concerns about whether Canada competes fairly with a non-market economy like China.
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