Industry Minister Mélanie Joly flatly rejected claims that Ottawa was warned its aggressive stance toward Stellantis was jeopardizing Canada-U.S. trade talks, pushing back against reporting that tensions with Detroit automakers helped derail a near-complete agreement with the White House last fall.
Asked directly whether American officials or members of her own government told her that efforts to penalize Stellantis for failing to honour employment commitments were undermining negotiations with Washington, Joly responded: “First, no.”
“I must say we will always fight for auto workers,” she said. “We know that the American tariffs are illegal and unjustified.”