Stellantis: Canadian Brampton Assembly Plant Shuttered As Product Moved to the US

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Layoff scale: ~3,000

Plant effectively closed due to product moving from Canada to US

Expected Cause

→ EV policy reversals
→ Capitalist restructuring and/or overproduction
→ Tariffs

Layoff begins: October 2025

News reporting: Stellantis pauses retooling at Canada factory slated to build Jeep Compass

In October 2025, Stellantis announced it will be shifting production of the electric Jeep Compass from Brampton Assembly (near Toronto, Canada) to Belvidere Assembly where it will make a combustion engine version of the Compass. In response, Unifor Local 1285, representing 3,000 workers, rallied to save their jobs and their community, as the Brampton plant remains without product indefinitely, effectively closing the facility. Meanwhile, the UAW has cheered the shifting of Stellantis production to the US, claiming it will create 5,000 jobs over 4 years, though it is unclear how many of these jobs were already committed in the 2023 contract and if the jobs will begin in 2027 or later.

Aerial view of Stellantis Brampton Assembly; image credit: Unifor
Stellantis Brampton Assembly plant aerial view; image credit: Unifor

More Details

  • Brampton Assembly paused retooling from combustion to electric vehicles in early 2025, with Unifor citing tariffs and EV policy reversal as the expected cause.
  • On October 29, 2025, Unifor Local 1285 held a rally to protect jobs at the Brampton Assembly plant.
  • Following the Brampton shuttering announcement, 240 Brampton workers were moved to the Stellantis plant in Windsor, Ontario. While the plant expanded from two to three shifts, thousands of Brampton workers are still without a job prospect.
  • In 2000, Canada had nine Big Three assembly plants. As of February 2026, only three remain operational: Ford Oakville, GM Oshawa, Stellantis Windsor. Toyota and Honda are the largest manufacturers in Canada, with Toyota producing more than the Canadian Big Three combined, meaning the unionized workforce is a small share of the industry.
  • The idled Belvidere Assembly plant was used as a negotiation chip during the 2023 Big Three bargaining. After committing to re-opening the plant, as well as an EV battery facility and a parts megahub, Stellantis backtracked and delayed the launch. As Brampton Assembly closes, Belvidere Assembly will receive the combustion engine version of the Jeep Compass in 2027 or potentially after the UAW contract expires. It has also cancelled plans for the battery plant and parts hub.
  • In April 2026, Unifor Local 1285 rejected a proposal to build EVs from “complete knockdown kits.”
  • Brampton Assembly: Retooling for Electric Jeep Compass canceled
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