The way Harper made his decision on the new foreign ownership rules is dangerous and undemocratic. Canada has legislation, the Investment Canada Act, that sets out the process and requirements for foreign purchases. Strange that the deal that prompted him to develop the policy will be immune from the policy. Can he choose to ignore his own rules the next time?
By December 10, The federal government is expected to make a decision on whether to approve or reject the takeover of Nexen by a Chinese state-run company. Any rearward decision-making process hinging on knee-jerk intercultural reactions, quick paydays or short-sighted goals is detrimental to our country as a whole.
The variations between Canadian and Australian politics and policies are as interesting as the fundamental similarities between them. Both are highly globalized, mixing multiculturalism with modified versions of the Westminster parliamentary system. Although in the past this nationalism has been directed toward the United States, it is now the question of Chinese access that has become the lightening rod of controversy.