On Wednesday, a Stellantis executive faced intense questioning from Members of Parliament regarding whether substantial subsidy agreements made with the federal government in recent years included commitments to preserve Canadian automotive jobs, a point government officials have frequently emphasized.
During his testimony before a House of Commons committee, Jeff Hines, the former president of Stellantis Canada, aimed to highlight the company’s dedication to the Canadian automotive industry, but refrained from specifically confirming if job protections were part of previous agreements.
“We are dedicated to our employees in Brampton and across Canada,” he stated. “Elements of the contract and the agreements made are, of course, going to remain confidential… but we are committed to sustaining the workforce in Canada.”
Hines’ testimony comes after weeks of backlash concerning the company’s decision to manufacture the Jeep Compass, originally planned for the Brampton, Ontario plant, at the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois, putting workers in a precarious situation.
Recently appointed as the head of North America fleet solutions at Stellantis, Hines previously served as the company’s president for Canada. Before this position, he was the president of Stellantis Canada.
Stellantis, which owns brands like Dodge and Chrysler, employs approximately 9,000 individuals in Canada and, as Hines mentioned, aims to recruit an additional 1,500 workers in Windsor, Ontario, the hub of automotive manufacturing.
According to Hines, the company has invested $8.6 billion in Canada since 2022 and intends to keep growing within the country, although he pointed out that economic and trade uncertainties could impact the company’s trajectory.
Jeff Hines of Stellantis testifies before a House of Commons committee on Oct. 29, 2025. (House of Commons)
Hines addressed the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry and Technology, which is conducting an urgent investigation into the automotive sector and the federal government’s financial agreements with Stellantis following the developments regarding the Brampton plant.
The company asserts that it has plans for the Brampton facility, which formerly employed around 3,000 workers before its temporary closure for retooling.
Hines mentioned that multiple options for the Brampton plant are under consideration but could not specify when a decision might be reached due to the current economic climate.
He acknowledged that tariffs imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump influenced the choice to shift production of the Jeep to the U.S., but emphasized that it was not the sole factor.
Hines stated that Stellantis is offering transfer opportunities for employees and expressed the company’s desire to establish a “long-term, sustainable operation” for laid-off workers in Brampton.
Government officials have asserted that Stellantis agreed to maintain its presence in Canada — which encompasses the Brampton plant and another facility producing minivans and muscle cars in Windsor, Ontario — as part of a $15 billion federal-provincial agreement to establish the nation’s first electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor.
An analysis of the documents by CBC News revealed no such guarantees in the unredacted sections, and there was no response from the federal government to a request for comment by the deadline.
Hines on the Windsor Assembly Plant
Conservative MP Kathy Borrelli, representing Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore, inquired about Stellantis’ operations in her constituency, emphasizing that 24,000 local workers depend on the automotive industry for their livelihoods. She questioned whether the company would maintain its presence in Windsor.
“That is entirely our intention,” he responded, expressing enthusiasm about the forthcoming expansion to a third shift.
He highlighted that the NextStar EV Battery Plant in Windsor has already brought on board 1,000 employees, with the facility projected to generate a total of 2,500 jobs.
On Wednesday, the committee was also expected to hear from Flavio Volpe, President of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, along with representatives from Unifor, the union representing workers at Stellantis and other major automakers in Canada.
