LONDON — U.S. and Canadian officials are discussing the imposition of tariffs on Saudi Arabian and Russian oil imports if the two members of the OPEC+ group do not quickly reach a deal to end their price war.
Jason Kenney, the premier of Alberta, told the Financial Times he had held discussions with Washington about tariffs, as a global deal to reduce production appeared to be hanging by a thread.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called on rival oil producers to cut production by as much as 15 million barrels a day, but said on Friday that tariffs “are one tool in the tool box” if Saudi Arabia and Russia do not quickly reduce supplies, threatening a deepening schism with Washington’s key Middle East ally.
Kenney said “prospective import tariffs on oil coming into North America” were under discussion with Washington, even as he signalled Alberta would be open to participating with OPEC in cuts to oil supplies.
Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage speaks to several thousand pro pipeline protesters rallying at Stampede Park during the Global Petroleum Show in Calgary in June, 2019.
Gavin Young/Postmedia
Sonya Savage, Alberta’s energy minister, would dial into the online OPEC+ meeting this coming week, he said.
“OPEC+ started this fire and they have to put it out. We’re not going to surrender our industry and we’re prepared to go the distance here,” he said.
Canadian provinces have autonomy over oil production policy, but joint tariffs with the U.S. would require federal approval from Ottawa.
U.S. officials confirmed the Department of Energy was studying whether tariffs would be a viable way to force Saudi Arabia and Russia’s hand, though the discussions are preliminary and among several other options.
The White House declined to comment.
“The U.S. seems more likely to show up to next week’s OPEC+ virtual meeting with credible threats of reprisals than commitments to reduce production,” said Clearview Energy Partners, a Washington consultancy.
Trump has pushed Saudi Arabia and Russia to get a deal to remove as much as 15 per cent of global oil supplies, but the two countries remain at loggerheads, with an online OPEC+ meeting now pushed back from Monday until later in the week after the two sides traded barbs.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is now at odds with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Juan Mabromata /AFP/Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that a cut to global oil production of 10 million barrels a day was possible, but only if all major producers including the U.S. joined in. But he jeopardized the potential for a deal when he accused Saudi Arabia of launching the price war to hurt U.S. shale producers, in an apparent attempt to drive a wedge between Riyadh and Washington.
Saudi Arabia’s energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan both attacked the statement on Saturday, with the latter saying they were “fully devoid of truth” and accusing Russia of “falsifying facts”.
The prospect of a deal drove oil prices up around 40 percent over Thursday and Friday, recovering from an 18-year low below $25 a barrel to above $30 a barrel. They remain down by more than half since the beginning of the year.
The price slump has threatened the future of U.S. and Canadian oil producers who generally require higher prices to turn a profit.
Global demand for oil has plunged almost 40 percent, Trump noted on Friday, the biggest drop in history as measures to slow the spread of coronavirus hit economic activity.
Independent U.S. oil producers have pushed the White House to force Saudi Arabia and Russia to end the price war that has deepened the slump, including proposing tighter sanctions on Russian energy, bans on foreign oil imports, and targeting the Saudi-owned Motiva refinery in Texas.
Trump on Friday alluded to a suspension of U.S. military aid to Saudi Arabia, when he said “we provide military assistance to countries for pretty much free . . . and they don’t even like us”.
Additional reporting by Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. says it has signed a deal that will result in the creation of its first eyewear collection.
The deal announced on Thursday by the Toronto-based luxury apparel company comes in the form of an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement with Marchon Eyewear Inc.
The terms and value of the agreement were not disclosed, but Marchon produces eyewear for brands including Lacoste, Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Longchamp and Zeiss.
Marchon plans to roll out both sunglasses and optical wear under the Canada Goose name next spring, starting in North America.
Canada Goose says the eyewear will be sold through optical retailers, department stores, Canada Goose shops and its website.
Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss told The Canadian Press in August that he envisioned his company eventually expanding into eyewear and luggage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.
Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.
Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.
Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.
Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.
Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).
Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.
June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.
Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”
Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.
July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.
Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)
TORONTO – TD Bank Group, which is mired in a money laundering scandal in the U.S., says chief executive Bharat Masrani will retire next year.
Masrani, who will retire officially on April 10, 2025, says the bank’s, “anti-money laundering challenges,” took place on his watch and he takes full responsibility.
The bank named Raymond Chun, TD’s group head, Canadian personal banking, as his successor.
As part of a transition plan, Chun will become chief operating officer on Nov. 1 before taking over the top job when Masrani steps down at the bank’s annual meeting next year.
TD also announced that Riaz Ahmed, group head, wholesale banking and president and CEO of TD Securities, will retire at the end of January 2025.
TD has taken billions in charges related to ongoing U.S. investigations into the failure of its anti-money laundering program.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
