Joly dodges questions on missing Stellantis job guarantees

Liberal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly dodged tough questions from Conservative MPs about missing job guarantees in the government’s multi-billion-dollar deal with Stellantis.

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Liberal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly dodged tough questions from Conservative MPs about missing job guarantees in the government’s multi-billion-dollar deal with Stellantis.

The exchange came as Joly confirmed Ottawa has begun a formal dispute resolution process against the automaker after it relocated Jeep Compass production from Brampton, Ont., to Illinois, resulting in the loss of approximately 3,000 Canadian jobs.

“The government will take the next step under the contracts to recover Canadian taxpayers’ money,” Joly said. “This means that we’ll start the 30-day period of the formal dispute resolution process in order to bring back production at the Stellantis Brampton facility.”

Joly told MPs the government’s move was in response to what it considers a violation of “legally binding commitments” made by Stellantis in exchange for up to $15 billion in federal and provincial subsidies.

“These actions are not symbolic. They are the direct consequence of the violation of clear commitments,” she said in French. “When a commitment toward the Canadian government is not respected on behalf of Canadian workers, there are consequences.”

Conservative MP Raquel Dancho pressed Joly repeatedly to identify where in the Stellantis agreements there was a job guarantee for Brampton workers.

“But if there wasn’t a jobs guarantee of 3,000 people at Brampton, which is the whole reason you’re here, then how is it that you’re tying all the money to a jobs guarantee that may or may not exist?” Dancho asked.

Joly said that “the three contracts are linked” and that “there are job guarantees in all the different contracts,” but she declined to provide specific job numbers, citing commercial sensitivity.

Dancho referenced one of the contracts that had been made public, citing that the only job guarantee was at the NextStar plant, not Brampton or Windsor.

“I must dispute what you just said. This is not a fact,” Joly responded. “There’s always job numbers, guarantees. That’s exactly why the government of Canada and also the government of Ontario, in this case, have decided to support the company.”

The minister’s refusal to cite precise clauses led to sharp exchanges with opposition MPs, with the committee chair briefly pausing the meeting to restore order as arguments led to cross-talk.

Conservative MP Michael Guglielmin questioned Joly over why Stellantis’ Strategic Innovation Fund agreement included extensive language on net-zero and diversity requirements but appeared to lack clear job protections.

“In the Strategic Innovation Fund agreement, there’s very detailed, enforceable reporting on gender equality, diversity and climate initiatives,” Guglielmin said. “Why are the most detailed commitments in the agreement net zero and DEI and not job guarantees for Brampton?”

He also mentioned instructions requiring that 50 per cent of the board be composed of women and non-binary people, and 30 per cent of members be racialized, LGBTQ, people with disabilities or Indigenous.

Joly replied, “Are you against women being on boards?” and insisted that there is a job commitment but again declined to identify its location in the contract.

Guglielmin said he’d be supportive of 100 per cent women being on the board, assuming it was merit-based hiring.

Other Conservative MPs, including Kathy Borrelli, demanded to know whether the government would force Stellantis to repay taxpayer funds if the company fails to restore production in Brampton.

“If there was a default, then they must pay the money back,” Borelli said. “Will you commit to ensuring Stellantis pays back the billions of taxpayer dollars your government handed out?”

“Well, that’s what we’re doing today,” Joly responded. “We’re launching that process.”

Joly also noted that Borrelli served the constituency of Windsor, arguing that the battery plant there was creating jobs. She similarly mentioned Conservative MP Andrew Lawton, claiming he “hadn’t stopped smiling for days and weeks” thanks to the 3,000 jobs recently announced at the St. Thomas facility for Volkswagen.

Joly said the government remains in contact with Stellantis and Ontario officials and is working “to bring back production at Brampton.”

“What is happening to the Stellantis workers in Brampton is a fight worth fighting for,” Joly told the committee. “It is bigger than one company or one city. It is about fairness, accountability, solidarity. It’s about keeping promises.”

The confrontation follows weeks of turmoil in Canada’s auto sector. Honda, General Motors and Stellantis have announced production cuts or relocations to the United States, despite receiving billions in taxpayer subsidies.