Canada's NDP

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December 7th, 2012

Harper government irresponsible in approving Nexen takeover

OTTAWA – New Democrats are profoundly disappointed that the Conservative government has decided to rubber stamp the Nexen takeover deal by CNOOC without consulting Canadians and without saying which criteria was used to make the decision.

“This is a farce. While Conservatives admit that under the new rules this transaction is not a net benefit to Canadians, they have approved it anyway,” said Peter Julian, NDP Natural Resources Critic.

“Canadians should be very apprehensive about the long-term economic and environmental consequences. In the past, these kinds of takeovers have resulted in job losses,” added Julian.

The sale of Nexen to Chinese state-owned CNOOC raises broad concerns and allows a foreign government to own Canadian natural resources. The majority of Canadians clearly indicated that they were opposed to the deal due to CNOOC’s poor human and environmental rights record, as well as the fact that CNOOC sees itself as the foreign policy arm of the Chinese government.

In the last few weeks, more than 80,000 Canadians sent letters and e-mails to Parliament to protest against the takeover of Nexen by CNOOC. New Democrats consulted widely in Calgary and across the country and announced in October that they did not believe this takeover was in Canada’s best interest.

“The NDP wants foreign investment that promotes research, sustainable development and job creation in Canada,” said NDP Industry Critic Hélène LeBlanc. “For years we have been pushing for a clear definition of “net benefit,” as well as for more transparency and public consultations. The Conservatives broke their two-year-old promise to review the act and have failed Canadians.”