(Reuters) – The federal government will announce whether BHP Billiton can proceed with its hostile takeover bid for PotashCorp “in the not-too-distant future,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Thursday.
His comments indicate that Ottawa — due to make its ruling public by Nov. 3 — will not exercise the option of seeking a 30-day extension beyond that date.
Harper, responding to pressure from opposition legislators to block the bid, said anti-market views were not in the best interest of the Canadian economy and vowed that Ottawa would evaluate the bid fairly.
