The government misjudged the takeover's significance to
"The kinds of explanations that have been offered by the government to date I find wholly unsatisfactory and very narrowly focused," he told a
Wark delivered his remarks at the first of two Commons committee meetings to explore the takeover of
Liberal MP
The department concluded that
Wark noted that the government had the option to extend the review by an additional 45 days, which it did not take.
"To be honest, I'm dumbfounded by the fact that the government was so confident about its conclusions within that 45-day period from the original announcement of the acquisition in October through to early December that it felt it didn't even have to do any more," said Wark.
He said he believes the postelection political transition period had an impact on the attention the case should have been given.
While the decision "cannot be undone," it offers important lessons for similar reviews in the future, such as considering economic strategy in the review, and performing these reviews more often, Wark said.
He also said in fairness to officials involved, reviews of investments like these are resource-intensive and highly complex.
This report by
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
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