If given a chance, BHP Billiton would pleasantly surprise the people of Saskatchewan, says company representative Andrew Mackenzie.
Mackenzie insists his company’s commitment to Saskatchewan is still very strong and that jobs would not disappear.
“We expect to grow this company, we're here to invest, and operational jobs are likely to increase, not reduce,” said Mackenzie.
On Thursday, Premier Brad Wall said no to the company's bid for Potash Corp due to concerns about job and revenue losses as well as the impact to Saskatchewan and Canada’s place in the world.
Mackenzie says he's listened to the concerns about provincial revenue losses and is willing to accommodate by making a special offer in this case.
“That we will forgo all of the usual tax benefit from deals such as this so that the government will see no changes to the taxes they would have received had this deal not happened,” said Mackenzie.
Going forward, Mackenzie it will be about building trust.
“Brad likes us a lot, but he doesn't quite trust us,” said MacKenzie.
Mackenzie suggests one way of building that trust could be through the creation of a Saskatchewan advisory board, comprised mainly of people from this province. He says such a board would ensure BHP was holding to its commitment.
“They would be there to make sure we are making the right decisions for the people of Saskatchewan,” said Mackenzie.
