In front of Members of Parliament on Wednesday, a Stellantis executive faced tough questioning regarding the potential inclusion of job security guarantees in recent subsidy agreements with the Canadian government. Jeff Hines, the former president of Stellantis Canada, emphasized the company’s dedication to the Canadian auto industry but refrained from directly confirming the existence of job protection clauses in past deals.
Hines expressed, “We are committed to our employees in Brampton, our employees in Canada. The details of the contracts, some of which are confidential, reflect our commitment to sustaining the Canadian workforce.”
This scrutiny follows public outcry over Stellantis’ decision to relocate production of the Jeep Compass from Brampton, Ontario, to the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois, leaving Brampton workers uncertain about their future.
Recently appointed as the head of North America fleet solutions at Stellantis, Hines previously served as the company’s president in Canada. With approximately 9,000 employees in Canada, Stellantis plans to hire an additional 1,500 workers in Windsor, Ontario, a hub for the automotive industry.
Highlighting the company’s $8.6 billion investment in Canada since 2022, Hines expressed the desire for further expansion in the country. However, he acknowledged economic and trade uncertainties as influential factors in Stellantis’ future decisions.
Appearing before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry and Technology, Hines participated in an emergency study focusing on the automotive sector and the government’s financial agreements with Stellantis following developments at the Brampton plant.
While affirming plans for the Brampton facility, which employed around 3,000 workers before its temporary closure for retooling, Hines mentioned ongoing considerations for the site amid the challenging economic landscape.
Regarding the relocation of Jeep Compass production to the U.S., Hines acknowledged the impact of factors such as U.S. tariffs but emphasized that multiple variables influenced the decision. Stellantis aims to offer transfer opportunities to affected workers and is actively seeking sustainable solutions for the impacted workforce in Brampton.
Despite government assertions that Stellantis committed to maintaining its Canadian operations, including the Brampton and Windsor facilities, as part of a significant federal-provincial deal, an analysis by CBC News did not uncover explicit guarantees within the disclosed portions of the documents.
During the session, Hines affirmed the company’s commitment to maintaining a presence in Windsor and shared enthusiasm for expanding operations to a third shift. He mentioned the successful hiring of 1,000 individuals at the NextStar EV Battery Plant in Windsor, with plans to reach a total of 2,500 positions.
The parliamentary committee also anticipated insights from Flavio Volpe, President of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, and representatives from Unifor, the union representing workers in the Canadian automotive industry.
