Premier Ford talks tough about closure of Brampton car plant

“Open the damn plant!”

That was the simple message Ontario Premier Doug Ford issued to the operators of car manufacturers Stellantis.

Speaking at a rally held by the union that represents the workers at the closed Brampton facility, Ford said it’s time for the plant to reopen and start making cars again.

“Open the damn plant, we need to get our workers back into the plant,” Ford said in front of Unifor workers who rallied at the plant on Williams Parkway.

Stellantis placed a “pause” on the work carried out by the Brampton Assembly Plant in February following the tariffs placed on Canadian-built vehicles by the U.S.

Brampton was expected to produce Jeep vehicles, but now 3,000 jobs have been placed on hold, and the future of the plant is in doubt.

“I have many jobs, but my number one job is to protect the workers, protect their jobs, and to protect their communities,” the premier continued, urging the laid-off workers to “keep fighting and don’t roll over.”

Production on the Jeep Compass was supposed to begin in 2026, but the company said the pause was necessary to reassess its product strategy.

Unifor National President Lana Payne told the rally that the plant was the “lifeblood of the community” and is confident the plant will reopen.

“We need political leaders to stand with us and to fight with us. Our members here in Brampton were promised a bright future. Since February, that future has been put on hold,” added Payne, “This plant is the lifeblood of this community. It’s not going anywhere. Restarting the Brampton assembly plant retool and delivering on their commitments is not a question of if – it is a question of when.”