«We all recognise that the UK's membership of the EU is an issue on which some colleagues have long - standing, deeply - held positions of conviction - hence my decision to set aside, on a highly exceptional basis, the normal rules of collective responsibility. (totalpolitics.com)
Foreign investors hit the brakes last December, shortly after the Harper government approved the Nexen and Progress deals and the prime minister warned that future takeovers in the oilsands by state - owned enterprises (SOEs) would be approved on only an exceptional basis. (canadianbusiness.com)
Only after multiple extensions was final approval granted and even then, it came with several caveats, the most notable being, ``... given the inherent risks posed by foreign SOE acquisitions in the Canadian oil sands, the Minister of Industry will find the acquisition of control of a Canadian oil sands business by a foreign SOE to be of net benefit to Canada on an exceptional basis only» (emphasis added). (asiapacific.ca)