Parkland-Sunoco deal comes amid fraught U.S.-Canada relations, resource nationalism

Lauren Krugel · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 13, 2025 1:38 PM EDT | Last Updated: 13 minutes ago

Ottawa is weighing the projected takeover of Calgary-based Parkland Corp. by American substance distributor Sunoco LP astatine a clip of fraught Canada-U. S. relations and amped-up assets nationalism.

The $9.1-billion US affable woody announced past week is taxable to a reappraisal nether the Investment Canada Act, which considers whether it volition beryllium a nett payment to the state and improbable to harm nationalist security.

Parkland sells substance nether the Ultramar, Chevron and Pioneer state presumption brands successful Canada and besides owns a refinery successful Burnaby, B.C.

In March, Ottawa updated the nationalist information guidelines nether the Investment Canada Act to relationship for imaginable harms to Canada's economical information done enhanced integration betwixt the Canadian institution and a overseas economy.

Late past week, the president of the national representing 150 workers astatine Parkland's Burnaby refinery said captious vigor infrastructure should not beryllium handed implicit to a overseas multinational successful the mediate of a commercialized war.

Jennifer Quaid, who teaches firm instrumentality astatine the University of Ottawa, says the timing of the bid could beryllium unlucky for Parkland and Sunoco arsenic heightened attraction is being paid to U.S. President Donald Trump.

The flurry of tariff and annexation threats coming from Trump person intensified calls for Canada to make its ain resources and physique infrastructure allowing entree to markets extracurricular of the United States.

"Rightly oregon wrongly, determination volition beryllium much attraction focused connected it due to the fact that it's an American acquisition successful a assemblage that we are paying a batch of attraction to close present successful presumption of Canadian capacity," Quaid said.

Parkland said Sunoco has committed to safeguarding Canadian jobs, retaining its Calgary caput bureau and investing successful Canada.