A year ago, I was already frustrated with lengthy delays in the foreign ownership file.
Then Minister Tony Clement opened the foreign ownership consultation at The 2010 Canadian Telecom Summit: June 7, 2010. That was 20 months ago.
At the time, I warned against a lengthy review process. I spoke with the Canadian Press right after the consultation was launched:
Industry analyst Mark Goldberg, who also organizes the telecom summit, praised the government’s initiative but also said it is prudent to quickly advance the plan, because the leaving the future uncertain could actually hurt all of the carriers.
“Once you open a process and there’s uncertainty as to which direction is going to be followed, it creates an overhang for the capital markets. The ability of companies to raise capital during that interim period of uncertainty can’t be overstated,” he said. “It could be extremely damaging to small players and large players alike to have a lengthy period of uncertainty when you’ve got such a capital intensive business.”
The government continues to procrastinate, hampering the investment climate. While I have preferences for what the rules should look like, they take a backseat to simply having a decision put in place.
In the absence of clarity, investors will look elsewhere and Canadian companies will pay a premium for capital. That adds to costs, reduces investment, hampers job growth and leads to increased consumer prices.
Four months ago, I called it “A dusty file.” We’re long overdue for the Minister to start cleaning.