A CTV News investigation says federal officials were actively involved in discussions for months over the sale of the Stellantis Brampton assembly plant. Three sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations said federal officials took part in more than a dozen meetings over several months, and two sources said Ottawa knew the proposed terms of the transaction.
Why it matters
The report lands days after Prime Minister Mark Carney publicly condemned the agreement to sell the facility to Canadian defence manufacturer Roshel, calling it a betrayal of Canadian workers and Canada interests. The Liberal government disputes that it negotiated or approved the sale, and says the prime minister wants answers from Stellantis.
The timeline is now the centre of the dispute. In August, Unifor disclosed that Stellantis was seriously considering closing and selling the Brampton facility. By October 22, the union said discussions with federal officials were approaching a conclusion. On November 4, Unifor president Lana Payne wrote to Industry Minister Melanie Joly, and the next day the union confirmed Joly had agreed to join a proposed four party meeting.
What happens next
More than 2,200 workers remain affected by the prolonged shutdown of the Brampton facility, where production stopped in December 2023. In 2022, the federal government committed up to 529 million dollars to support Stellantis retooling projects in Brampton and Windsor, and 222 million dollars had been disbursed by March 2025.
The question now is what Ottawa knew and when. The November 4 letter does not prove the government approved the transaction, but it establishes that federal officials were engaged in the discussions for months before the announcement. Parliament will want the full record, and the workers in Brampton will want to know what comes next for their plant.
The union has been at the centre of the story from the start. In August, Unifor disclosed that Stellantis was seriously considering closing and selling the Brampton facility, and by October 22 the union said discussions with federal officials were approaching a conclusion. On November 4, Unifor national president Lana Payne wrote directly to Industry Minister Melanie Joly and Ontario Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli. On November 5, the union confirmed Joly had agreed to participate in a proposed four party meeting, and five days later Carney publicly condemned the sale. Ottawa says it initiated a dispute resolution process in November 2025, and the government insists it did not negotiate or approve the transaction.
