Mr. Speaker, I am rising today to request an emergency debate on Stellantis' plan to shift production from its plant in Brampton, Ontario, to Illinois and what this means for Canadian workers, communities and our very economic independence. This follows the announcement of General Motors that it intends to lay off 2,000 workers at its Oshawa plant in January. In Brampton, 3,000 workers are affected.
It was shocking to hear news of Stellantis' betrayal. Make no mistake, this is a betrayal. It is a betrayal of the thousands of workers who are directly involved and the thousands more indirectly so. It is a betrayal of both provincial and federal governments and the taxpayers who had supported Stellantis in exchange for an explicit commitment to manufacture vehicles in Brampton. This decision will have major repercussions across the country.
Our economy is under under attack. Donald Trump has been clear that he wants to hurt our economy and extort companies to shift production from Canada to the United States. We cannot let that happen.
We already have record unemployment, particularly among young people. We have a jobs crisis. These attacks will only make life harder for workers and for families. As Unifor president, Lana Payne, said, “If Stellantis can get away with this [after making a direct pledge to government], what's stopping the next corporation?”
The Prime Minister was elected on a commitment to stand up to Donald Trump, but instead, we have seen concessions and a piecemeal approach, which has led directly to Stellantis' decision. It is imperative that parliamentarians be afforded an opportunity to discuss this attack and to discuss how to mobilize all available resources to meet the threat we face. Workers and communities deserve no less.