You have drifted away from the point (such as it is) of this thread.

You can be quite sure Vale will not be offering you a penny more than they have to in order to swing a deal for the Noront shares. There will be no Christmas gifts from them.

The US$One billion loan to Vale is said to be at market rates, so why not let them borrow it from the market? EDC losses, likely or unlikely, would be for Mr Taxpayer"s account (that's us) and I would rather see my Government finance a few necessary things for Canadian companies first, in the ROF and elsewhere.

And again, if Vale can't find a way to come to terms with their Canadian workforce, what's the rush in opening the coffers (taxpayers' money) for them? They certainly put the squeeze on their Sudbury employees, so is that a good corporate citizen? Our resources are finite and our Government must leverage them to the best advantage of the Canadian public, not be an accomplice in selling them off cheap.

Best, O.F.