Cars pass along the assembly line at the Stellantis plant in Brampton, July, 2023.

The federal government has notified automaker Stellantis NV its decision to shift production plans to Illinois from Brampton, Ont., is a breach of the taxpayer-funding contract the two sides reached in 2022.

Industry Minister Melanie Joly said on Thursday that Ottawa has served the automaker with a notice of default related to jobs and a funding agreement for the plant northwest of Toronto.

The move comes after a 30-day period of talks between the two sides over the future of the factory, which employed more than 3,000 people before it closed for retooling two years ago.

In 2022, the federal government gave up to $529-million to the automaker for work on plants in Brampton and Windsor, Ont., and a rese

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