Workers will rally to save auto sector jobs from ‘Trump tariff war’ in Brampton

Workers left in limbo due to “the Trump tariff war” against Canada’s auto sector are calling on residents to stand in solidarity at a rally in Brampton.

U.S. automaker Stellantis, which employs around 3,000 workers in Brampton, announced plans earlier this month to move upcoming production of the Jeep Compass from Brampton to the U.S., despite years of assurances.

General Motors has also scrapped the BrightDrop electric vehicle program at the CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll. The company says the cancellation is due to market demand, and production will not be moved to another site.

The company plans to eliminate the third shift at its Oshawa Assembly Plant in January, cutting some 700 workers.

And while Stellantis Canada President Jeff Hines was summoned to Ottawa last week and Canadian politicians are putting pressure on U.S. automakers to reverse the moves, workers aren’t taking the looming job cuts lightly.

A rally will be held at the Brampton plant on Wednesday, and Unifor is calling on residents to attend and show “solidarity” with workers.

“Canada’s auto industry is under direct attack,” the union representing Brampton workers says in a release. “President Trump has made it clear he wants our auto jobs on U.S. soil—and now automakers are caving to his pressure by shifting production south of the border.”

The rallies will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Stellantis Brampton Assembly Plant, located at 2000 Williams Pkwy.

“Let’s stand together to defend our jobs, our communities, and to continue to fight the Trump tariff war,” the union says.

Premier Doug Ford attended a rally at the Brampton plant earlier this month, but that was before the Stellantis announcement.

The plant has been idle since it was shut down for retooling in early 2024, but that was paused in February amid tariff uncertainty caused by Trump’s see-sawing levies.

Stellantis said in July that it was projected to lose $2.68 billion USD in the first half of 2025 due to U.S. tariffs and hefty charges.

Canada’s trade talks with the U.S. were derailed last week, with Trump planning to add another 10 per cent tariff on Canadian goods, claiming the breakdown in negotiations was due to an Ontario-paid ad running in the States.

But Ford says he’s not sorry, and that he doesn’t think Trump ended the talks over the ad alone.

“It’s about finding every excuse in the world not to get a deal,” the premier said. “President Trump is not putting a deal together to benefit Canada.”