Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that the global head of Stellantis told him the automaker is looking at finding a new model to fill the idled Brampton, Ont. plant, but that a decision would require more trade certainty.

Speaking to reporters in Toronto, Carney said he spoke with the Stellantis chief executive on Tuesday, shortly before the company announced it would be moving planned production of its Jeep Compass from its plant in Brampton, Ont., to Illinois.

“I expressed disappointment on their decision,” said Carney.

He said the CEO, Antonio Filosa, gave him assurances they would provide support for the 3,000 workers affected at the Brampton plant, and that they would consider other vehicles for the plant.

“They’re looking at different models being produced in Brampton. That decision would be taken in the context of the finalization of the USMCA,” said Carney.

The North American free trade deal, also known as CUSMA, is up for renewal next year, creating uncertainty over what longer-term tariffs Canadian automotive production may face.

Stellantis halted work on retooling the Brampton plant in February as U.S. President Donald Trump started rolling out a range of tariffs that have created doubts on the future of Canada’s auto sector.

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The automaker announced the move of production of the Jeep model on Tuesday as part of a US$13-billion investment that will see it boost U.S. production by 50 per cent over the next four years.

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The decision means Brampton workers, who have been off the job since Stellantis shut the plant at the end of 2023, won’t re-start work later this year as planned.

Carney said the federal government was working with Unifor and the province to ensure workers have enough support, while noting they will also have the opportunity of taking some of the 1,500 jobs at Stellantis’ Windsor, Ont. plant as it adds a third shift.

He also said he reminded the company of its commitments under funding deals, which include upwards of $14.6 billion in financial support for the battery plant Stellantis is building with LG in Windsor.

Carney said there are potential consequences for the company if it doesn’t meet its obligations that include keeping the Brampton plant.

“There is exposure of the company if they were not to follow through with those commitments for Brampton, restarting Brampton,” said Carney.

“I reminded the global CEO of those undertakings.”

On Wednesday, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly expressed her “extreme concern” about the move in a letter to the company where she threatened legal action if it doesn’t meet commitments it made to federal government for funding.

Stellantis said in a statement Wednesday that Canada is very important to the company, that it continues to invest in the country and that it has plans for the Brampton plant.

Flavio Volpe, head of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, said Wednesday that he wasn’t particularly reassured by the company’s statement.

“I’ve been around long enough to know a plan and a car are two different things.”

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SEATTLE – Pike Place Market artist and vendor Daniel Fleming says Toronto Blue Jays fans typically show up in Seattle in droves for games against the Mariners, and the ongoing American League Championship Series has been no different.

He said the city and market seem insulated from political tensions between Canada and the United States that have seen Canadian visits south plunge.

“Toronto Blue Jays fandom travels maybe as well as any other fandom I’ve ever encountered,” Fleming said Thursday. “They come to town, they spend money, they support small business and whatnot.”

The market was bustling with people getting photos in front of the first Starbucks that opened there in 1971, while others were capturing video of the famous fish-tossing ritual that Pike Place is known for.

Fleming said this tourism season seemed “fairly normal,” although he’s noticed a drop in Korean and Chinese tourists, and he believes the political fallout might manifest more starkly next year.

“Pike Place Market, as far as looking at that kind of stuff, is maybe isolated from the statistical norms,” he said. “I would suspect Washington state, I would expect Seattle’s getting way less Canadian travellers but using the baseball game and the jerseys and whatnot as my barometer, there seemed to be a lot of people out.”

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However, Visit Seattle, the city’s tourism marketing organization, is forecasting a 26 per cent drop in international visitors this year, calling it the largest drop for a major city in the U.S. due to its dependence on Canada.

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The numbers were crunched by the international advisory firm Oxford Economics earlier this year.

Tanya Canavan, president of Visit Seattle, said in an interview Thursday that officials are “delighted to see Blue Jays fans in the city.”

“We’ve traditionally seen a lot of our Canadian friends come down for the game and it’s been a wonderful rivalry,” Canavan said.

Canavan is from Vancouver and has been living in the United States for 25 years.

She said Seattle feels “a lot like home,” with similar culture, weather and values, but the forecasted drop in visitors revealed “how there is some hesitation and there are some strong feelings about Canadians crossing the border into the United States right now.”

She has family in Canada who have given her a deeper understanding into people’s feelings about visiting amid tariffs and rhetoric about the 51st state from U.S. President Donald Trump, she said.

“We hope that in time that relationship will become stronger and we’ll start to see that rebound to a more normal pattern,” she said. “The politics are not necessarily the people, right?”

Fans in the city for the games said they travelled to Seattle without regard for politics.

Kurt and Tracey Bessey, siblings from Saskatoon, flew to Vancouver and bused to Seattle because it was cheaper than flying to Toronto for a game.

Kurt Bessey said he was last here a decade ago for a Seahawks game, and though Seattle has changed since his last visit with many shops closing, the people have not.

“The people here are awesome, they’re really friendly,” he said.

Tracey Bessey said people have been friendly and cheerful towards them as Canadians in conspicuous hoodies, hers with a small Canadian flag embroidered on the sleeve.

But they said they did get a lot of questions when they crossed the border, which wasn’t typical in their past experiences.

“It seemed, like, weird. I’ve been through the border several times,” Kurt said.

“We had all our Jays stuff on so you know why we’re here,” Tracey added.

They said rival fans at Game 3 were friendly and the good-natured trash talk quieted down when the Jays pulled out ahead, winning handily 13-4.

Back at Pike Place, where Fleming has been selling his work for two decades, he said he’s apologetic to Canadians for Trump’s rhetoric aimed at Canada.

However, he said he doesn’t think Canadians need much convincing to visit a city like Seattle despite the current political conflict.

“As far as encouraging people, you know, don’t believe the hype,” he said. “I think that you look at a lot of stuff worldwide when there is conflict and you talk to people at large on the street … you will find that the people of a place are not the government of that place.”

Visit Seattle says Canadians spent $586 million in the city and the King County area last year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2025.

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