The strange attachment between the people of Saskatchewan and its potash corporation has always been a bit of mystery.
For example, the Grant Devine government was able to privatize the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (PCS) in the summer of 1989 with comparatively little fanfare. Notwithstanding the best efforts of the then NDP opposition to stop the PCS sale (including the longest debate filibuster in Canadian parliamentary history) the NDP just couldn't do what they did to the SaskEnergy privatization bill a few months earlier.
One big factor is the obvious difference between a private sector entity owning the utility that supplies the heat to our homes in the winter and the government owning a resource company. SaskEnergy was clearly nearer and dearer to the hearts of Saskatchewan people that are rooted in a tradition of cooperativeness.
But perhaps as big a factor is the more entrepreneurial side of Saskatchewan people - the side that was always uneasy with former NDP premier Allan Blakeney's 1970s foray into the state owning a resource business.
So one might not have assumed that Saskatchewan people - 21 years after the potash corporation was privatized - would have little problem with the Potash Corp. now being bought by a bigger private company.
Well, think again.
The reaction to the decision by the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan's board of directors to reject a $38.6-billion US unsolicited takeover bid from Australia-based BHP Billiton Ltd. seemed to be one of relief for many Saskatchewan citizens. The idea of world's biggest mining company coming in and swallowing up the province's biggest business did not sit well.
Given that the Potash Corp.'s $10 billion in annual revenue are about equivalent to that of the entire provincial government, one might understand a little hesitation. But when you think about it, there might not be all that much reason for worry.
BHP Billiton would obviously be eager to keep the mines running at maximum capacity to get back its massive investment. In turn, that would have been good news for taxpayers whose major interest in this deal should be how potash royalties to the province are affected.
The $200-billion mining giant had expressed an interest in both expansion and building new mines in Saskatchewan - even before its bid to buy out Potash Corp. For that reason, here would seem little reason to fret about mine closure or a loss of royalty revenue.
Even the much-ballyhooed concern about the loss of head office jobs seems somewhat misplaced. For one thing, we've had legislature since the 1989 PCS privatization requiring that the Potash Corp. keep a head office presence in this province. For another thing, it would seem unlikely that BHP would have much reason to shutdown the Potash Corp.'s office presence in Saskatchewan, given that it the company would still need that function.
Yet it seems to be this concern over losing the head office jobs that drove most of the anxiety surrounding the takeover talk. This may tell us a little about ourselves in this province.
While there may have been a sense of uneasiness with government owning a resource company, there has been a genuine sense of pride these past 21 years that our province would be he home to the world's biggest potash company.
Moreover, governments seem to recognize both the desire and benefit of having such head office jobs - both in terms of symbolism and opportunity for our young people that have traditionally headed for the office towers of Calgary.
It speaks to strange relationship between Saskatchewan people and potash.
Contrary to the views of Allan Blakeney and the NDP, there was never a burning desire in the hearts of most Saskatchewan people to own the industry.
But there is an undeniable pride in Saskatchewan being the world headquarters for our foremost natural resource.
Murray Mandryk has been covering provincial politics for over 15 years.
