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PotashCorp, based in Saskatchewan, is the largest mining company in the province. (CBC)
Investors, politicians and the public are keeping close watch for federal Industry Minister Tony Clement's decision on whether to allow a proposed hostile takeover of the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan by Australian-based BHP Billiton.
'Defend Canada's national strategic interests by denying this hostile foreign takeover bid.'—Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall's last-minute plea to Industry Minister Tony Clement
The Prime Minister's Office said BHP will be informed of Clement's decision and make it public on Wednesday afternoon after the close of the North American stock markets. Clement will then comment on the announcement.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper defended his government's handling of the $40-billion US bid, telling MPs in the House of Commons that Clement will make a "considered decision that is in the best interests of the Canadian economy."
While PotashCorp is a private company, with stock held widely by investors in Canada and abroad, who controls the mining giant is viewed as critical to the province of Saskatchewan, which relies heavily on royalty revenues.
The province is dead set against a foreign takeover and estimates it could lose around $3 billion or more in provincial revenues over 10 years if the sale goes through.
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and federal opposition leaders have urged the government to "stand up for Canada" by rejecting the bid. Wall has also hinted he would consider a legal challenge if Clement approves it.
Promises 'not kept' in past takeovers: Wall
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Wall also identified a "cause for concern" in an Australian newspaper report on Tuesday that said court filings in the United States show that BHP Billiton plans to sell PotashCorp's $10 billion US phosphate and nitrogen businesses if its bid is successful.
The company is quoted in The Australian as saying the information was taken out of context. But Wall said past foreign takeovers have shown other governments have let companies "off the hook" for not living up to their pledges.
Industry Minister Tony Clement will comment Wednesday afternoon on the decision whether to allow a proposed hostile takeover of the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan by Australian-based BHP Billiton(CBC)
"The challenge has always been for us, not just with respect to BHP, but with respect to other bidders in these takeovers, is that these promises are not kept," Wall said.
Clement's decision will be based on advice from the investment review division of Industry Canada, which tests foreign takeovers using a net-benefit analysis.
BHP Billiton has offered to offset provincial revenue losses by contributing to an infrastructure fund, a proposal Saskatchewan officials have called inadequate.
'Unified voice' opposed to bid in West: Ignatieff
Meanwhile, the federal Opposition Liberals warned Harper risked alienating western provinces that have spoken out in a "unified voice" against the takeover bid.
"We think the only possible answer is no, because this is a strategic natural resource and it's extremely important that we maintain control of this natural resource," Ignatieff said after his party's weekly caucus meeting in Ottawa.
Liberal deputy leader Ralph Goodale, Saskatchewan's lone non-Conservative MP, said his province is "justifiably worried" that whatever promises made by the federal government or BHP under a conditional approval "are not enough to take to the bank."
Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jack Layton accused Harper of trivializing the issue, telling the House during Wednesday's question period it was time for the government to say no to the "sellout" of Canada's potash industry.
But Harper replied that the Conservatives are following a process, rather than repeating the "rubber-stamping" of foreign takeovers under previous Liberal governments.
Company created as Crown corporation
On Wednesday, a Toronto-based merchant bank collaborating with Saskatchewan First Nations groups said it had rounded up $25 billion in funding to back a rival bid for PotashCorp. Reports suggested Forbes & Manhattan had enlisted backers in Brazil, China and various pension funds to fund a possible bid.
Separate reports out of Russia suggest that a collection of firms are attempting to pool resources in order to purchase PotashCorp. OAO PhosAgro would lead that proposal, Russian media reported, despite the fact that it is currently worth less than a quarter of PotashCorp's valuation. So far, no other firm bids for PotashCorp have emerged.
PotashCorp's primary assets are six mines in Saskatchewan and one in New Brunswick.
In New Brunswick, the company has embarked on a new mining operation valued at $1.7 billion, and politicians in that province have supported Wall's position against a takeover.
In a letter sent last week to Harper, New Brunswick Premier David Alward said he had "concerns" about the proposed takeover, but also acknowledged the jurisdiction of the federal government to make the decision under the Investment Canada Act.
PotashCorp is the world's largest producer of the pink-hued mineral that was first discovered in Saskatchewan in the 1940s. Deep underground deposits of potassium chloride are extracted from a network of mines for refinement, primarily as fertilizer for agriculture purposes.
PotashCorp was created in the 1970s as a provincial Crown corporation by Saskatchewan NDP Premier Allan Blakeney. By the early 1980s it had acquired ownership of roughly 40 per cent of production in the province.
The company was privatized by the Progressive Conservative government of Grant Devine during his last term as premier. The sale to the private sector was completed in 1991.