On December 7, 2012, the Canadian government approved two proposed investments in Canadian energy companies by state-owned enterprises (SOEs) under the Investment Canada Act (ICA): the proposed acquisition by PETRONAS of Progress Energy Resources Corp. (Progress) and the proposed acquisition of Nexen Inc. (Nexen) by China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC). Norton Rose Canada represented … Continue reading
Canadian M&A activity was down sharply in Q3, but the proposed $15.1 billion takeover of Nexen Inc. by China National Offshore Oil Company Limited drove the overall value of deals up 23% over Q2 and 16% over Q3 2011. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) recently released its report, Capital Markets Flash: Q3 Canadian M&A Deals Quarterly, which outlined … Continue reading
Yesterday Price Waterhouse Cooper released its Q2 M&A report on the 721 deals worth $47.7 billion announced in that quarter, and there were a few surprises. Although deal volumes, as expected, declined 7% over Q1 and 14% over Q2 2011, many Canadian entities are focusing on foreign markets, including Europe. In Q2 Canadian acquisitions into … Continue reading
Grant Thornton recently released its 20th annual International Business Report on M&A in which it suggests the market for M&A looks strong both globally and in Canada, as businesses look to invest cash resources built up over a period of slow M&A activity. Based on our experience, we have certainly noticed an increase in M&A … Continue reading
On April 27, 2012, the federal government announced it would amend the Investment Canada Act to allow the Minister of Industry greater flexibility in explaining why a proposed foreign takeover of a Canadian business raises preliminary concerns. The amendments, contained in the government’s annual budget bill, will also empower the Minister to accept offers of security … Continue reading