The Canadian government told Stellantis NV it’s in default on its taxpayer-backed financial aid after it moved auto production to a US plant, Industry Minister Melanie Joly said.

Joly first threatened to take legal action in October, shortly after Stellantis announced it was canceling plans to make the Jeep Compass SUV in Brampton, Ontario, and moving that vehicle to Illinois. The automaker said it would invest $13 billion in the US over four years, partly to mitigate tariff costs.

Governments in Canada pledged more than C$500 million ($358 million) to Stellantis to help pay for capital costs in its two assembly plants in the country.

“Today, on Dec. 4, I’m formally announcing that we’re serving Stellantis with a notice of default under the contracts,” Joly told a parliamentary committee.

“When it comes to protecting auto jobs, we’ll not let these industries down,” Joly said, adding that she is defending “Canada’s economic backbone and the livelihoods of countless families.”

The move also comes a month after Joly announced a 30-day dispute resolution process with Stellantis aimed at bringing production back to the Brampton plant.

There are about 3,000 unionized workers on layoff from the factory, and many more in the region whose jobs depend on supplying it with parts.

The company is also a partner in an electric-vehicle battery plant in southern Ontario that’s in line to receive billions of dollars in production subsidies. Canada helped bail out Chrysler, which is now part of Stellantis, when it was in financial stress during the global financial crisis.