Allowing China's CNOOC to buy Canadian oil company would be treason, MP says

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/10/03/264667/china-oil-deal-is-treason-canadian-mp/

An opposition MP says the Canadian government would be committing treason if it agrees to a $15.1 billion bid by China's CNOOC Ltd to buy the Canadian oil company Nexen Inc.

New Democratic Party (NDP) MP Pat Martin made the remarks on Tuesday during a debate in the House of Commons on a motion by his party demanding that the Conservative government hold public dialogue before making a decision to approve the deal or not, Reuters reported.

Martin said Canadian jobs in the garment industry and in the high-tech sector in his electoral district had moved to China "and now we're going to let the nation-state of China come in and buy up our natural resources as well?"

“Anybody that considers allowing this deal, I accuse them of economic treason," the MP stated.

MP Peter Julian, the NDP's energy expert, said the government should not approve the deal without consultations.

“Before the government moves to rubber-stamp (the deal), consult the public,” Julian told the House.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said his government will make a decision on the deal after taking public opinion into consideration.

“What we're finding is public opinion is crystallizing around this deal with more and more concerns," Julian told reporters before the debate began on Tuesday.