A Stellantis executive faced questioning from Members of Parliament on Wednesday regarding whether recent subsidy agreements with the Canadian government included commitments to preserve Canadian auto jobs, as government officials have repeatedly stated.
During his appearance before a House of Commons committee, Jeff Hines, former president of Stellantis Canada, emphasized the company’s dedication to the Canadian auto industry but refrained from directly confirming the inclusion of job protection clauses in past agreements.
“We are dedicated to our employees in Brampton, our Canadian workforce,” he stated. “While some details of the agreements remain confidential, we are committed to sustaining our workforce in Canada.”
Hines’ testimony comes following widespread criticism of Stellantis’ decision to relocate the production of the Jeep Compass from the Brampton, Ont., plant to the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois, leaving Brampton workers uncertain about their future.
Having recently assumed the role of head of North America fleet solutions at Stellantis, Hines had previously served as the company’s president for Canada.
Stellantis, known for brands like Dodge and Chrysler, employs approximately 9,000 workers in Canada and has plans to hire an additional 1,500 employees in Windsor, Ont., known as the automotive hub of the country.
According to Hines, the company has invested $8.6 billion in Canada since 2022 and aims to further expand its operations in the country, although he highlighted economic and trade uncertainties as potential challenges for the company’s future growth.
Appearing before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry and Technology, Hines participated in an emergency study of the automotive sector and the government’s financial agreements with Stellantis following the Brampton plant news.
While Stellantis affirms its commitment to the Brampton facility, which employed around 3,000 workers before its temporary closure for retooling, Hines mentioned that the company is exploring various options for the plant’s future, citing the prevailing economic conditions.
Acknowledging the impact of U.S. tariffs on the decision to shift production of the Jeep product to the United States, Hines emphasized that the company is providing transfer opportunities for affected workers and is actively seeking a sustainable solution for the Brampton employees.
Despite government assurances that Stellantis had agreed to maintain its Canadian presence as part of a significant federal-provincial deal, an analysis by CBC News did not find such guarantees in the unredacted sections of the documents, and the federal government did not respond to inquiries by the deadline.
In response to a question from Conservative MP Kathy Borrelli regarding the company’s operations in Windsor, Hines affirmed Stellantis’ intention to maintain its presence in the automotive capital and expressed excitement about the planned expansion to a third shift.
He also mentioned the progress at the NextStar EV Battery Plant in Windsor, which has already hired 1,000 employees and is projected to create a total of 2,500 positions.
The committee was scheduled to hear from Flavio Volpe, President of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, and representatives from Unifor, a labor union representing workers in Canada’s automotive industry, including those at Stellantis and other major automakers.