I began my career in Lanigan when when the mine there was Alwinsal Potash. I was around when the government of the day, the NDP, nationalized the mine. I worked with the PCS in the '80's, and have stayed in touch with some working there since. There is no doubt Potash sits deep in the hearts & minds of Saskatchewan. I think it is as strong in our provincial sentiment as Agriculture does, perhaps more so.
I did not agree with the nationalization way back when and still don't. If the government then wanted to build a mine from scratch, go for it. To walk in and take over someone else's hard work I thought was wrong. If they could take over that, what else could they take over? The same thinking applies for me today with the current debate. I realize though,takeovers are a fact of life in the business. The one issue that looms in my mind though I do not recall being discussed is the size and global influence BHP has. This corporation is simply put, way to large. To gain control of a major global requirement in the fertilizer industry is to much global influence. I think there is to much at stake here on a global scale to allow this to pass, it goes way past any lost tax revenue.
Yes I stand on the side of right wing spectrum but I agree with Brad Wall, our Premier, this is a Saskatchewan resource and we deserve a say in how this plays out and therefore the answer to this particular takeover should be NO.
I have always said, how pleasant it would be if the opposition parties would stand in agreement of each other. In this situation Brad Wall consulted 4 previous premiers and Alberta which deals with giant corporations on a regular basis. I commend Brad Wall for this, and I commend the the others for offering their opinions and for standing in support of the government. Now if only they would cooperate on other things.
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