Opposition to proposed China-backed takeover bid puts oil sands move up for
'kitchen table national debate'
GLORIA GALLOWAY AND CARRIE TAIT
The federal New Democratic Party formally disapproved of CNOOC Ltd.'s
$15.1-billion (U.S.) offer to acquire Calgary's Nexen Inc., aiming to
widen opposition to China's plan to secure a major foothold in the oil sands.
Peter Julian, the energy and natural resources critic for the Official
Opposition NDP, told a news conference on Thursday that his party does not have
confidence in the Conservative government's ability to handle the deal
transparently.
The government is reviewing the foreign takeover and must determine
whether it has a "net benefit" for Canada. CNOOC is the third-largest
state-controlled energy company in China, and critics worry Canada is at risk of
losing control of important natural resources to foreign governments.
The NDP's opposition to the Nexen takeover puts the federal government in
a politically sticky spot. Prime Minister Stephen Harper wants the oil sands
industry to continue to flourish, which requires billions of dollars in foreign
investment. But some Canadians, including politicians within his own caucus, are
leery about China's expanding oil sands ownership and uncomfortable with the
restrictions Beijing places upon other counties which want to do business in
China.
The Canadian government has never fully revealed what it takes to pass the
"net benefit" test, and the NDP's stance may force Mr. Harper to be more
specific. With the NDP speaking out, the debate over Nexen's future - and other
Canadian takeover targets - is now mainstream, rather than isolated to the
business world.
"Now it is burst wide open onto the political scene," and becoming "a
kitchen table national debate," said Penny Collenette, a law professor at the
University of Ottawa, as well as a former senior director in the Prime
Minister's Office under Jean Chretien and a former vice-president at George
Weston Ltd.
New Democrats "cannot support the rubber-stamping of the CNOOC takeover of
Nexen," Mr. Julian said. "We cannot see the net benefit when we look at a
variety of concerns and criteria that have been raised by the Canadian public."
Those concerns, he said, included the environmental and human-rights record of
CNOOC, the potential for job losses and the risk of decision-making gravitating
away from Nexen's Calgary head office, plus risks to national security.
CNOOC has been seen as a "strategic arm" of the Chinese government, Mr.
Julian said, pointing to a particularly controversial aspect of the proposed
deal. CNOOC, for its part, insists it operates as an independent company. And
"the idea that this government would enforce conditions is simply a smoke
screen," Mr. Julian said.
"Every single takeover that has been rubber-stamped by this government,
regardless of whether the companies have maintained their commitments or not,
the government has never responded to enforce those conditions."
Mr. Harper said the NDP is merely adhering to its socialist ideological
bent and its rejection of the transaction would not affect the government.
"We do have to remember as Canadians that a lot of jobs in this country, a
lot of jobs and growth, depend on investments. As well, Canada is a significant
investor in other parts of the world," Mr. Harper said. "So our economy depends
on the kind of jobs and growth that international investment flows create."
The Conservative government has been generally welcoming of foreign
investment, he said, but it has also significantly modified and blocked some
transactions.
"This particular transaction raises a range of difficult policy questions,
difficult forward-looking issues," Mr. Harper said. "And those things will all
be taken into account under the Act in assessing the net
benefit of this investment to this country before we take a decision."
Industry Minister Christian Paradis slammed the NDP for speaking out
against the CNOOC-Nexen deal.
"The true motivations for the NDP's actions are clear; frighten off
investment and shut down trade. This is not surprising coming from the party
that opposed free trade with the United States, our largest trading partner," he
said in a statement. "The NDP's actions are reckless and irresponsible. By
attempting to politicize the review process they are creating the kind of
uncertainty that scares off the investment Canadian companies rely on to create
jobs, innovate and compete."
NDP Critic for Canadian Heritage Peter Julian issued the following statement:
"It has come to our attention that a consultant for a federally funded anti-racism project has a disturbing track record of spewing hate speech online against Jewish and francophone communities. This is completely unacceptable. We call on the Minister of Heritage to take drastic action and terminate his contract.
NDP Heritage Critic Peter Julian issued the following statement:
“Today’s announcement by Hockey Canada is another attempt to delay the important and urgent work to deal with the toxic culture in this organization. While a former Supreme Court Justice is a credible appointment to conduct the review into Hockey Canada, this won’t be the first time the organization undergoes this process.
NDP critic for Canadian Heritage, Peter Julian, made the following statement:
“Canadians are horrified by the incidents of sexual assault and by what they’re hearing from Hockey Canada. They are left with many questions about how this toxic culture is allowed to persist in our sports organizations and what the government is actually doing to ensure this doesn’t happen again.