OTTAWA – The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP), which has long opposed foreign ownership of the telecommunications and broadcasting industries, is saying the Competition Policy Review Panel got it wrong.
“The competition panel’s recommendation to increase further foreign ownership of Canada’s key industries demands immediate assurance from the Prime Minister that Canada is not for sale,” said Dave Coles, president of CEP, Canadas largest telecommunications and media union.
“Privacy for individuals and security for the nation are both threatened by placing our critical telecommunications infrastructure into foreign hands,” he added.
He noted that the foreign investment level currently allowed of 46.7% in telecom and media companies is already high, and there’s not lack of investment in these sectors.
Peter Murdoch, CEP’s vice-president of media, added that “broadcasting and telecommunications industries are essential for our sovereignty and security. To hand them over to foreign investment is a quick step to integration with the U.S. – something Canadians are overwhelmingly against, as we’ve seen in poll after poll.”
