Liberal MP suggests Carney government may be investigating N.L. offshore acquisition

A Liberal MP’s comments in Parliament Thursday suggest the federal government may be investigating two recent acquisitions by companies with ties to Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territory. It marked the first time the Carney government has publicly referenced the impending takeover of Suncor’s stakes in three of Newfoundland and Labrador’s offshore oil projects by UK-based Ithaca Energy.

Following The Independent’s reporting earlier this month exposing Ithaca’s majority-shareholder is UN-blacklisted Israeli conglomerate Delek Group Ltd., Alberta MP Heather McPherson asked the Carney government in the House of Commons Thursday if it will intervene in the Ithaca acquisition and another controversial acquisition involving an Israeli arms company.

“This week we learned Israeli defence company Elbit Systems is acquiring a Canadian submarine company. A few weeks ago, a different Israeli company acquired a Canadian offshore project owned by Suncor,” said McPherson, the NDP’s Global Affairs critic. “The government has promised to ban trade with illegal settlements and told Canadian businesses not to deal with companies like this, but here we are. Will the federal government step in to stop this acquisition?”

Toronto MP Robert Oliphant said the Liberals “will continue to do everything to bring peace, protect the rights of Palestinians and Israelis and ensure that the illegal settlements are not furthered. We will continue to do that every day as we continue to investigate.” Oliphant is a parliamentary secretary for Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, who was in Türkiye with the prime minister Thursday.

In a news release Thursday, McPherson further called out the Carney government’s handling of the matter. “As the illegal occupation of Palestine continues and the conditions worsen for Palestinians in the West Bank, and as the genocide in Gaza continues, Canada has an obligation to uphold and defend international law,” the Edmonton MP said. “The government has warned Canadian companies not to engage with companies violating international law in Palestine – so why is it they have not blocked these acquisitions in Canada?”

Global Affairs Canada has not responded to The Independent’s requests for comment in recent weeks and did not respond to a request regarding Oliphant’s remarks.

Silence from PCs and Liberals

Last week Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham said he won’t comment on Ithaca Energy’s “political things,” and that the company’s involvement in the province’s oil and gas sector “bodes well for our industry.”

Prior to that, provincial Energy and Mines Minister Lloyd Parrot did not respond to The Independent’s questions about the acquisition but said in an emailed statement that Ithaca, “is a UK-incorporated publicly traded company that is London-based with its own independent board and operating responsibilities.”

Ithaca Energy itself offered a similar response after The Independent requested an interview with a member of the company’s leadership team, pointing to its status as a “London Stock Exchange listed company […] which is governed by the highest standards of corporate governance,” a spokesperson for the company said, according to Billy Clegg, executive director of Camarco, a UK public relations firm that advises Ithaca.

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The Independent also requested an interview with provincial Liberal leader John Hogan but was told the former premier is unavailable this week because he is travelling. A subsequent request for an interview with opposition Energy Critic Fred Hutton went unanswered.

Responding to news of Ithaca’s ties to Israel’s occupation, provincial NDP leader Jim Dinn said earlier this month he wants the PCs to bring in legislation “preventing such a thing from happening.”

The premier may be forced to address the matter soon. With the House of Assembly opening next week for the fall sitting, NDP Press Secretary Stephanie Curran told The Independent Friday the New Democrats plan to press the PCs on Ithaca’s acquisition.

In August the Carney government warned Canadian businesses of the risks associated with engaging or doing business with those with ties to “settlement-related activities,” including “significant legal, financial and reputational risks.”

McPherson said Thursday the government “must not allow the sale of crucial Canadian defence or oil and gas resources to any Israeli companies, let alone those implicated in human rights violations and genocide.

“Under no circumstances should these dealings be permitted as the violent dispossession, ethnic cleansing, and genocide of Palestinians continues with the full support of the Israeli government and its defence sector,” she added.