Under the Investment Canada Act (ICA), the federal government has the right to review mergers and acquisitions and evaluate if they create a “net benefit” to Canada. From its implementation in 1985 to 2008, reviews rarely blocked transactions (if ever, I have not found any in literature reviews). However, starting in 2008, the threat of using the ICA to block investments has been raised (LSE-TSX merger) quite often and two transactions (Alliant/MacDonald-Dettwiler and PotashCorp/BHP Biliton) were blocked outright. For the benefits of my readers, I am publishing the inflation-adjusted thresholds for review (above that amount, the federal government has the right to review).
Vincent Geloso 