加通社渥太华电/联邦政府最早将于下周宣布政策指引，以“国家安全”为理由，阻止外国国营企业收购加拿大公司。消息称，工业部长普伦提斯(Jim Prentice)考虑阻止外国国营企业收购关键资源业的加拿大公司，尤其是能源公司。
虽然加拿大商业团体通常反对政府干预市场，但一部分商界领袖向普伦提斯表示，如果普伦提斯提出阻止外国国营企业的收购，他们不会反对。政府任命专家小组认真检讨“掏空加拿大”的问题，该专家小组由北电网络(Nortel Networks)与BCE Corp.前主席威尔逊(Lynton Wilson)领导。
但消息说，普伦提斯急于阻止阿布扎比酋长国国营能源公司TAQA以50亿元收购亚伯达省公司PrimeWest Energy Trust的计划。
TAQA希望大幅度提高在加拿大能源市场的地位，这项收购是其目标的一部分。TAQA于9月24日宣布了该计划，从而可能导致加拿大政府急于现在便进行干预，而不是等到威尔逊的报告之后，估计威尔逊的报告要等到明年夏季才能够完成。
Ottawa looks to tighten foreign investment rules
SHAWN MCCARTHY
From Wednesday’s Globe and Mail
October 2, 2007 at 11:41 PM EDT
OTTAWA — The federal government is considering amendments to the Investment Canada Act that would set new thresholds for state-owned foreign companies looking to acquire Canadian companies, sources said yesterday.
Industry Minister Jim Prentice is expected to make a statement this fall that will set clearer guidelines for acquisitions by state-owned companies, including an explicit test to determine whether a takeover is detrimental to national security.
Last week, Mr. Prentice said the government already has the power under the Investment Canada Act to take into account issues of state ownership and governance when reviewing a foreign takeover.
But federal sources said there are differing legal opinions about the scope of the act, and the government may introduce amendments to clear up any uncertainty.
“There are now discussions as to whether there needs to be legislation or whether the act can be interpreted broadly,” one official said. “Things have to be worked out.”
There has been growing concern for years in Canada about potential takeovers in strategic sectors or of major resource companies by state-owned corporations that do not operate according to market principles but as agents of foreign governments.
Opposition parties raised questions last week when Abu Dhabi National Energy Co. (know as Taqa) made a $5-billion offer for Calgary-based PrimeWest Energy Trust.
In the interview last week, Mr. Prentice said that acquisition would be reviewed under the Investment Canada Act, and that the government already had the mandate to review questions of state ownership and governance.
However, he noted that Canada was alone among major industrialized countries not to have an explicit national security test when reviewing foreign takeovers.
The Minister added, however, that the government was eager to attract foreign investment to Canada, including that of foreign state-owned companies that operate transparently and according to market principles.
Still, some oil analysts are worried Ottawa is once again about to meddle in their industry in a manner that will undermine share prices. The Alberta-based oil industry is already smarting from the government’s elimination of trust structures, its imposition of new climate-change regulations, and proposals in the province to substantially increase royalties.
Peter Linder, managing director with Delta One Capital Partners Inc., said Canada should be working to attract foreign capital into the oil and gas sector, not erecting new barriers.
“Whether it is state-owned or privately owned, what’s the difference to us? It should make no difference,” Mr. Linder said. “As long as they’re good corporate decisions – which we make sure they are.
http://www.reportonbusiness.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071002.wtakeovers1003/BNStory/robNews/home
