Despite a broader pullback in Canadian production due to high US tariffs, Stellantis has added a third shift at its Windsor assembly plant, following through on a 2023 commitment to Unifor.
The new shift adds 1,700 midnight-shift workers at the assembly plant in Ontario, located on the other side of the river from Detroit.
The return of the third shift had been first negotiated as part of a collective bargaining process with the company over two years ago.
It was originally scheduled to return in 2025; however, changes to the trading environment between the US and Canada have pushed it to early 2026.
Union Reaction
James Stewart, President of Unifor Local 444 — which represents workers at the Windsor Assembly Plant — said the return of a third shift comes as a relief during a stressful period for employees.
“We know Stellantis has been challenged with some of the decisions they made in Canada by our union, but they have lived up to this commitment,” Stewart stated.
The new shift will not only support jobs at the assembly plant but will also increase demand at feeder plants, creating additional employment across the sector, the representative added.
“I have lots of conversations with people across the country and even across the border talking about the auto industry, and it seems Windsor is in the good news category,” he said. “We are in a bit of a sweet spot right now.”
However, Stewart noted that the long-term future of the third shift will depend on the popularity of the vehicles built at the plant.
Stellantis produces the Chrysler Pacifica and the Dodge Grand Caravan in Windsor, along with the all-new Dodge Charger lineup.
US Tariffs
Last April — as the US announced new tariffs on imports, including a 25% duty on imported vehicles and auto parts — Stellantis temporarily halted production in several plants across North America.
“This includes temporarily pausing production at some of our Canadian and Mexican assembly plants,” Chief Executive Officer Antonio Filosa wrote then.
Since April, US tariffs on Canadian goods have risen to an effective 50% duty — a 35% tariff on top of a 15% baseline rate. In response, Ottawa has imposed a 25% tariff on US imports.
Although both countries are part of the USMCA — the free trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico, finalized during Donald Trump’s first presidential term — several auto parts are not exempt from the tariffs.
Stellantis announced it was postponing the introduction of the third shift at the Windsor plant in May. Only in September did they announce that it would be introduced in early 2026 instead.
Outlook
Trevor Longley, President and CEO of Stellantis Canada, said that “launching the new third shift at the Windsor Assembly Plant is a proud and significant milestone for Stellantis and for our Canadian operations.”
He added that “this investment reinforces our commitment to Canadian manufacturing.”
It follows several production setbacks in other Stellantis plants across the country.
Last year, Stellantis cancelled plans to build the next Jeep Compass in Brampton, moving production to the US instead, as the tariff scenario hit.
However, Longley stated that the automaker “remains firmly focused on maintaining a strong Canadian footprint and is actively evaluating future production plans for Brampton,” with an announcement expected later in 2026.
Reacting to the production scale back, the Government of Canada last year imposed reductions to the annual remission quotas on imported vehicles for both Detroit automakers Stellantis and General Motors.
“This action follows the automakers’ unacceptable decisions to scale back their manufacturing presence in Canada, directly breaching their commitments to the country and Canadian workers,” the Government stated.
Production Scale Back
Last year, Ford Motor Co., GM and Stellantis sold over 700,000 vehicles in Canada.
Despite recent decisions to relocate production to the US, Detroit automakers still rely on Canada for both manufacturing and sales.
As of mid-2025, GM produced about 30% of vehicles entering the US market in Mexico and Canada.
Contrary to Stellantis‘ move, GM confirmed last month it would go ahead with the previously announced layoff of 750 workers at its Oshawa plant, affecting 1,500 more workers across the supply chain.
The Mary Barra-led company announced this Wednesday that it will invest CA$63 million at the Oshawa facility to support production of its next-generation, gas-powered pick-up trucks.
However, it remains unclear whether it intends to reintroduce a new shift later on.
The company previously halted BrightDrop production at CAMI Assembly, which also affected over 1,000 jobs.
As traditional North American automakers scale back production in Canada, Ottawa is shifting its focus toward attracting overseas manufacturers — as seen with its recent agreements with China and South Korea.
Whilst reducing its footprint there, GM‘s CEO has criticized Ottawa’s trade deal with China, which she says is counter to building a strong North American manufacturing footprint.
“I can’t explain why the decision was made in Canada,” Barra said during an internal meeting with employees, according to the Wall Street Journal. “It becomes a very slippery slope.”
