Industry Minister Melanie Joly says the automaker Stellantis could be eligible for more taxpayer funds to support workers, if it agrees not to sell its Brampton, Ont. plant. “If it’s to save the plant, we would be actually doing what we’ve done with Ford, what we’ve done with Honda, and what we’ve done with Toyota, and what we’re willing to do with all automakers and auto suppliers that are affected by the tariffs,” Joly said in an interview with CTV Question Period airing Sunday, after referencing federal government funding for the auto industry impacted by the U.S. trade war on Canada. After months of speculation, Stellantis announced this week its plan to sell its Brampton plant — which has been idled since 2023 — to Roshel, a Canadian armoured vehicle manufacturer. The federal government expressed outrage at the announcement of the sale, and has pledged to hold the company accountable, with Prime Minister Mark Carney calling the move a “betrayal,” and Joly threatening to sue Stellantis if it sells the plant. Carney later called the sale a “partial solution.” Multiple sources, meanwhile, told CTV News this week that senior officials within both the Prime Minister’s Office and Joly’s office were aware of the proposed sale for months, and behind the scenes, did not stand in the way of it advancing. During the interview, host Vassy Kapelos pressed Joly on her assertion that the federal government would still give Stellantis taxpayer funds despite having spent so much time this week decrying the character of the company. “We can’t give money to a company that is actually going against its contractual obligations, and that’s my point,” Joly said. “They need to make sure that they don’t sell the plant, and then we can have a conversation.” She insisted that Canadian auto workers are “very happy” the government is “putting money on the table” for industries affected by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. When pressed again by Kapelos on whether that means her government is comfortable with more taxpayer dollars going toward companies that it ultimately can’t trust, Joly said: “No, the bottom line is actually protecting the jobs.” She added, “I think it’s important that we all frame this in the context of a trade war that is affecting so many workers.” Speaking to reporters in Manila, Philippines on Saturday, Carney was asked to define what an “aggressive package” offered to Stellantis would involve. “The details of that and the implications of that will come out in due course as part of this,” Carney said. “But make no mistake, the expectation is that Stellantis fully respects its engagements to the workers and to Canada.” Also in an interview on CTV Question Period airing Sunday, Kapelos asked Conservative labour critic Kyle Seeback whether his party would support Stellantis receiving government funds if it kept the Brampton plant open. He did not rule the prospect out. “I think you’d have to have a really good contract, first of all, if you’re even going to consider it,” Seeback said. “But I don’t think we can ever be there.” “(Joly) is saying if Stellantis keeps the plant, we have some extra money for Stellantis, but if that’d be news to the CEO of Roshel, who says ‘we’ve got a signed agreement of purchase and sale,’” he added. The MP for Dufferin–Caledon said he doesn’t think the minister’s comments “track.” When asked again by Kapelos whether his party would support Stellantis accessing more government funding if it kept the plant open, Seeback didn’t directly answer, but said there would need to be “better guarantees” that the company would keep its promises. You can watch Industry Minister Melanie Joly and Conservative labour critic Kyle Seeback’s full interviews on CTV Question Period Sunday at 11 a.m. ET.
