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It’s been almost two years since some 3,000 auto workers were laid off at the Chrysler Brampton Assembly Plant just northwest of Toronto. For almost 20 years, this was a busy assembly plant, manufacturing the Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300, and the Dodge Challenger (and for a time, the Dodge Magnum.)

These cars were mass-produced and profitable for parent company Stellantis N.V. But production ended, although Stellantis noted that the plant would still be active producing the next-generation Jeep Compass.

Alas, those plans were scuttled with the election of President Donald Trump and his pro-tariff policies. To avoid the tariff, the Compass will now be made in Illinois.

Hundreds of Brampton Chrysler auto workers gathered on Wednesday morning to stage a solidarity rally outside the plant. They are fed up being idle and they want to get back on the job to make vehicles again.

A statement from the union, Unifor, noted: “Canada’s auto industry is under direct attack. President Trump has made it clear he wants our auto jobs on U.S. soil—and now automakers are caving to his pressure by shifting production south of the border.

“Stellantis has announced its intent to relocate the Jeep Compass program from Brampton to the U.S. General Motors has announced the cancellation of the BrightDrop electric vehicle program at CAMI in Ingersoll and also plans to eliminate the third shift at Oshawa Assembly Plant in January.

“Let’s stand together to defend our jobs, our communities, and to continue to fight the Trump tariff war!”

But the big question is: what can be done to save the Canadian auto industry?

For starters, successfully dealing with Trump was the promise of Liberal leader Mark “Elbows up” Carney during last spring’s federal election campaign. Carney boasted that as former CEO and Bank of Canada/England Governor, he had the wherewithal of dealing with tariff-happy Trump. Yet, precisely six months later, what has Carney delivered? Nothing.

Meanwhile, Ontario Premier Doug Ford just can’t seem to help himself when it comes to enraging Trump – be it banning American booze from Liquor Control Board of Ontario stores or running asinine TV ads featuring former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. Ford’s lack of understanding when it comes to Trump is downright astonishing.

And in the department of “Plenty of Blame to Go Around”, let us not forget the former CEO of Stellantis from 2021 to 2024, Carlos Tavares. Tavares pursued an aggressive electrification strategy called the "Dare Forward 2030" in which the goal was to ensure ALL Stellantis products (Dodge, Ram, Chrysler, Jeep, Fiat) would be electric vehicles by 2030 – five years BEFORE the federal mandate would kick in.

Just one hitch: the EV market is anemic. Yet, under Tavares, production of the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger ceased at the Brampton assembly plant, even though there was considerable demand for these products and these vehicles were profitable for the company. Meanwhile, the Dodge Charger EV has already been cancelled after only a single year of production (of note, we have yet to see a single Charger EV on the road.)

As well, also under Tavares, the Hemi V8 engine, the most popular powerplant for the Ram 1500 pickup truck, was axed. This would be akin to McDonald’s canceling the Big Mac. Not surprisingly, under new management, the Hemi engine will be returning next year.

But seriously: what was Tavares thinking?

It should be noted that on the same day the Brampton rally was taking place, a similar one was occurring down Hwy. 401 in Ingersoll. This demonstration was being staged by many of the 1,200 workers who have been laid off at the CAMI plant. That taxpayer-subsidized assembly plant was recently retooled to build the BrightDrop EV delivery van. It featured zero emissions – and virtually zero sales. Last year, fewer than 2,000 BrightDrop vans were sold in the U.S. and Canada last year.

And yet, the Canadian and Ontario governments can’t help themselves when it comes to squandering money on the EV pipedream. Case in point: $15 billion was invested in the massive EV battery plant in Windsor. This is a joint-venture by Stellantis and LG Energy Solution, but what is mystifying is that 1,600 workers at the plant are Korean foreign nationals. Why? And this is especially galling given that Windsor’s unemployment rate is 11.2%.

In the weeks and months to come, here’s hoping that the Brampton and CAMI plants will be saved and a trade deal can be hammered out. Or has “elbows up” been replaced by “knees down”?