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Now, 3,000 workers who’ve been unemployed for months just learned the truth: their jobs are heading south.
“Auto jobs are being sacrificed on the Trump altar,” Unifor National President Lana Payne said.
Trump’s 25% Tariffs Redraw the Auto Map
Inside sources say Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa met with President Trump earlier this year—and walked away with a simple ultimatum: “Build in America or pay up.”
In March, Trump imposed 25% tariffs on vehicles from Canada and Mexico, instantly reshaping how automakers operate across North America. What used to be a seamless supply chain under NAFTA and USMCA is being ripped apart and rebuilt with the U.S. firmly at the center.
The Jeep Compass was supposed to stay in Brampton, backed by $264 million in taxpayer money—half from Ottawa and half from Queen’s Park—to keep production in Canada. That investment just went up in smoke.
Instead, Stellantis is reopening its Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois, putting $600 million and 3,300 jobs there. It’s the largest investment in company history.
Canadian Officials Scramble—and Fail
Ontario Premier Doug Ford promised he’d “never stop fighting” for auto workers. But even he admitted defeat.
“This decision is especially painful for those workers who have been out of jobs for months,” Ford said, freezing future funding to Stellantis until there’s “clear assurances” on when Brampton will reopen. So far, there aren’t any.
Prime Minister Mark Carney called it what it is: “a direct consequence of current U.S. tariffs and potential future U.S. trade actions.”
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said the move was “deeply disappointing” and “represents a step backward” for the city. Stellantis’s official response? A polite brush-off:
“Canada is very important to us,” spokesperson LouAnn Gosselin said. “We have plans for Brampton and will share them upon further discussions with the Canadian government.”
America First Delivers—Big
For Trump, this is exactly what he promised on the campaign trail: bring jobs home.
Stellantis calls the $13 billion package “the single largest in the Company’s 100-year U.S. history.” It’ll fund five new vehicles, create 5,000 jobs, and boost U.S. production by 50%.
Even UAW President Shawn Fain, hardly a Trump fan, gave rare credit:
“A year ago, Stellantis was on a fast-track to moving their U.S. operations out of the country. Their decision today proves that targeted auto tariffs can, in fact, bring back thousands of good union jobs to the U.S.”
Honda followed suit in May, announcing it would move CR-V production from Canada to the U.S. for the same reason.
Canada’s Weak Leadership Pays the Price
The fallout in Canada is devastating. Workers were told to hang tight—now their jobs are gone, along with hundreds of millions in taxpayer subsidies.
Unifor’s Payne demanded accountability:
“Stellantis cannot be allowed to renege on its commitments to Canadian workers, and governments cannot stand by while our jobs are shifted to the United States.”
But that’s exactly what happened. Canadian leaders handed out money without guarantees, leaving Trump to capitalize on their weakness.
His tariffs forced Stellantis to choose between paying 25% more to access the U.S. market—or moving production stateside. The choice was obvious.
The Bottom Line
Trump’s America First agenda just delivered one of the biggest manufacturing victories in modern history—5,000 new U.S. jobs, a record $13 billion investment, and Canada left scrambling for answers.
As Canadian workers line up for unemployment benefits, the message is clear: Trump’s tariffs are working exactly as intended—and Canada’s leaders just learned what happens when you play trade poker with a master negotiator.
