CANADA MULLING SELLING PETRO-CANADA - MULRONEY
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney said the
government was considering selling Petro-Canada and the sale
would proceed if it were in the national interest to do so.
    Mulroney told the House of Commons assets of the huge oil
company would be examined before a decision was made, just as
other state-run companies were studied before being sold under
Ottawa's privatization program.
    "The government is going to examine assets of this nature
to ascertain if they continue to play an appropriate role in
public policy and we will make a determination as we have in
other cases," Mulroney told the daily question period.         
    Asked by opposition members to clairify Finance Minister
Michael Wilson's statement on Friday that Petro-Canada no
longer has any pubilic policy role, Mulroney said his
government has long promised to sell off companies that could
be better run by the private sector.
    Outside the House, Energy Minister Marcel Masse said
Petro-Canada would be worth between three and four billion dlrs
and, because of the size, could be difficult to sell.
    He also said he would prefer to see Canadians participating
in any privatization, but would not give any details on timing
of a sale.          
 Reuter
