Today's poll question; do you think that an Australian company should be allowed to purchase the Potash Corp of Saskatchewan? There seems to be a difference of opinion between the federal government and popular Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall (recently selected by 66% of my visitors as the best Premier in Canada). The feds approve of foreign investment in Canadian companies, but Brad Wall sees it as a loss of sovereignty over a treasured resource. The takeover bid is $39 billion dollars, most of which would be distributed to Canadian investors selling their stocks. This is going to be a massive deposit into our financial sector, while Canada retains most of the economic benefit to selling the resource.
Unless you think that the Aussies are going to come in and steal all our potash, how is this a bad thing? There is lots of foreign ownership in Alberta's resource sector, and it has made it our nation's wealthiest province. Even under foreign ownership they provide billions of dollars annually in wealth for our country.
And might I say that I have never in my life met an Australian that I didn't like. I am a big fan of the Aussies. Let them distribute most of $39 billion dollars into Canada. This is a good thing. I disagree with Brad Wall.
Harper must terminate his plunge to the far left, and there is no better first step than rejecting demands that he interfere even further into the market place by repudiating the potash sale.
ReplyDeleteIt is difficult to be a Christian and to express the disappointment that legitimate small-c fiscal, social, and judicial conservatives who elected him feel about our disingenuous leader. We were “had” by a ruthless and callous man whose ambition led him to sell his principles for the highest office in the land.
Harper, as he has plunged to the left, has wounded the country fiscally, socially and judicially, and he has guaranteed that our children’s standard of living will be lower than our current standard.
Harper’s pathetic, leftist brand of collectivist mush, including his propensity to interfered in the free market place, his massive overspending, and grow the government, that he has been peddling for years is the rationale for us legitimate small-c fiscal, social, and judicial conservatives feeling that we are no longer represented in the Conservative Party or in the House of Commons.
Imagine if in 2002 us ex-Reformers had actually elected a small-c fiscal, social, and judicial conservative. Obviously we should have paid more intention to the people who would later be quoted in Tom Flanagan’s book, Harper’s Team: "Some socially conservatives constituency presidents and councils remained skeptical of Harper”. As it turned out it was not only the social conservatives who should have been skeptical of Harper.
The small-c conservative base of the Conservative Party is not recognized by the Harper Conservative Party, and evidently has absolutely no influence in the party that has been taken over by the “progressive conservative”, far left wing. Ex-Reformers should be demanding an immediate Conservative Party leadership convention that will give us the possibility to take back our Conservative Party from the far-left.
---machiavelli
"Imagine if in 2002 us ex-Reformers had actually elected a small-c fiscal, social, and judicial conservative."
ReplyDeleteOk, there would have been no merger with the PCs.
And the CPC would not have won government in 2006, and still there in 2010.
Paul Martin would have won a majority.
Imagine that.
My comment comes from a strictly Alberta prospective: just what the hell is Stupid Stelmach doing? He's backing premier Wall in saying no to to Potash Corp. being sold to an Australian company. Does that mean that he no longer wants foreign companies operating in the oilsands? With the exception of Suncor, all the major players in the sands are foreign controlled. This idiot sets himself up as a supporter of free markets, then turns around and goes to bat for a denial of those free market principles he supposedly supports. Maybe he's planning to nationalize all the oilsands processors? Wouldn't surprise me.
ReplyDeleteStelmach has no plan and no clue.
ReplyDeleteHarper is completely lost too. It is laughable to think he is some finacial leader...a $55 billion defict and screwing around in the free market say otherwise.
As near as I can figure, it's an American company that owns the potash now, with head office in Sask. What is going to be the difference? Office location?
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm wrong on who actually owns it now, but I don't think so.
The main point your debate is missing is that potash royalties make up 20% of the SK budget. Potash is marketed through a conglomerate called Canpotex, other partners being Agrium and Mosaic. BHP will not use Canpotex to market it's potash and Canpotex will be dead. The province is worried BHP will use it's new found majority market share to over supply, drive down the price, and thus less royalties. It is too large a portion of the SK budget to lose the grip of control through Canpotex.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, PMSH gave it the thumbs up, with strings attached, sources say.
ReplyDeleteThrowing a province into deficit is not a net benefit for Canada.
That needs a fix,
and the price is too low. I think BP offered $130 and it's trading at $145, something like that.
Patsplace, I think right now the headoffice is in Chicago.
Anon at 2:35,
ReplyDeleteWe wouldn't have a deficit if Chretien and Martin hadn't raided the EI fund of %54 Billion to FAKE surplus', from 2001- 2005.
PCS is 49% owned by Canadians and the head office is required by provincial legislation to be located in Saskatchewan. The Canpotex/royalties issue has been ably addressed already but I should caution readers that the $39 billion injection mentioned in the Iceman's post is somewhat misleading. Shareholders would receive cash but they tender their shares so they're certainly not up $39B.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds to me like Premier Wall is demonstrating some old fashioned Tory affinities rather than new fangled Conservative ones.