Mr. Speaker, Canadians are concerned about the increasing sellout of our economy to foreign multinationals and the subsequent loss of sovereignty and jobs. I want to highlight this today with our sellout of the month award to illustrate the biggest corporate sellout of the month. There are three nominees for this award, all in American dollars.
The first nominee is Groupe Forex, operating in optics and forestry, sold to Louisiana Pacific for $408 million. The second nominee is Versatile Tractor, originally sold to North America New Holland and now merged with the $4.6 billion American Case Corporation. The third nominee is Loewen Group operating in funeral homes and cemeteries, sold to US Funeral Homes for $429 million.
The envelope, please. And the winner of the sellout of the month award in terms of corporations will be New Holland and American Case for closing Versatile Tractor, Canada's last tractor manufacturing plant, and for throwing 700 people out of work and into the streets.