According to the information we received, the minister has 30 days to indicate his intention with respect to the acquisition, and if no decision is made in that time, the acquisition is automatically approved. If I understand that correctly, we are referring here to the Bank Act.
To give you some context, we're talking about acquisitions of foreign entities. So the question is to find out why ministerial approval is established in the case of certain acquisitions of foreign entities. Now, if the minister doesn't respond within 30 days, the acquisition is automatically approved. When Minister Menzies appeared before the committee, he said that an in-depth study on the foreign entities was required and that it was important for the consolidation of Canada's banks.
I would like to know how we could ensure that approval is not automatically given. The minister's authorization should really be required. We don't agree with that, but that's another story.