Lobby records show Roshel and government meetings ahead of Stellantis Brampton plant sale, Digi Mart USA News (Ottawa, Canada): Industry Minister Melanie Joly’s most senior staff and a top aide in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office met with armoured vehicle maker Roshel before its announced purchase of the Stellantis Brampton assembly plant, according to filings in the federal lobbying registry.
According to the records, four top aides in Joly’s office met with Roshel in September and August. Both meetings included her then chief of staff Paul Moen and her director of policy David McFarlane, who met with Roshel again on Oct. 15. The registry also shows the prime minister’s senior global affairs adviser, Matthew Hall, met with Roshel on Oct. 15. Two sources said Roshel CEO Roman Shimanov attended that meeting.
CTV News did not identify the sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly.
Joly’s office told The Canadian Press on Wednesday that the minister had not met with Roshel before the Monday announcement that it would purchase the plant. Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the meetings were sanctioned or whether she was briefed on them.
The Prime Minister’s Office did not provide a comment to CTV News.
The registry also lists 10 high-level federal meetings with Stellantis in September alone. Carney’s deputy chief of staff Tim Krupa joined the final meeting, held on Sept. 29, along with Joly, Moen and McFarlane.
The Stellantis registry is current only through September and does not include any October meetings. Meetings requested by the government are not listed in the registry.
On Thursday, Joly issued a letter to Stellantis stating that the sale to Roshel breaches the terms of its 2022 federal funding agreement. She said that without a remedy she will declare an “Event of Default” in 30 days, and could then require Stellantis “to repay all or part” of the funds paid by the government, with interest.
Ottawa has not disclosed the total amount paid to the automaker. Records show $222 million had been paid out as of March 2025, covering payments for retooling plants in Brampton and Windsor.
Carney called the sale a “betrayal” of workers and Canada when it was announced. Sources told CTV News, however, that the federal government was actively engaged in discussions with both companies about the deal and privately did not stand in its way.
Speaking in Dublin on Thursday, Carney acknowledged that his government was aware of some of the plan and described the sale as a “partial solution.” “The issue for Stellantis is providing a global solution for the plant,” he said. “So the Roshel deal is a partial solution for the 1000s of workers there.” He added that being aware of some aspects “is not the same as Stellantis providing a global solution for those workers at the plant, which is their obligation.” A senior government official told CTV News that Ottawa had privately set broader expectations for Stellantis’s obligations to workers, and those expectations have not been met.
Full details of the sale agreement have not been disclosed. CTV News confirmed key elements of the plan that two sources said were shared with the federal government last week, including a pledge from Stellantis to pay pensions for all eligible workers.
The plant has been idle since 2023, with more than 2,200 workers on lay-off pay. Stellantis spokesperson LouAnn Gosselin confirmed the pension element and said about 60 per cent of the Brampton workforce is retirement eligible.
She said the company’s priority is to engage with Unifor through collective bargaining on a fair outcome for employees.
Gosselin also confirmed that Stellantis has offered to repay $24 million to the government, which was paid under an agreement to retool the plant and keep minimum employment levels. Shimanov has said a European car company has expressed interest in the plant if the Roshel purchase goes through.
Two sources told CTV News that Jaguar executives visited the Stellantis facility on Oct. 14. Shimanov said 25 per cent of the plant would be re-leased by Stellantis, and the rest could be used by a combination of other carmakers and his company’s defence manufacturing.
In a statement, Joly’s spokesperson Mathis Denis said the government “has not been involved in or supportive of the private agreement announced between Stellantis and Roshel.” He said the government’s communications with Stellantis had focused on protecting jobs and maintaining manufacturing at the Brampton plant, and that “many proposals” were heard, “none of which reflect our expectations for an acceptable outcome.” Denis added that Joly “at no point” endorsed Roshel’s proposal.
He said the minister and officials remain in regular contact with Stellantis over repayment of government funds. The 2022 deal gave the company up to $529 million to retool its Brampton and Windsor plants.
Joly is scheduled to meet with Unifor, Stellantis and Ontario government representatives in Toronto on Thursday. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, speaking in Calgary, said he wants answers on how much money has been sent to Stellantis, how much will be repaid, and whether any job guarantees were tied to the funding.
He accused Carney of moving from calling the sale an “outrageous betrayal” to a “partial solution” in two days. NDP Leader Avi Lewis said both Stellantis and the Carney government have “betrayed” workers and called on the government to block the sale.
