Reuters
(Reuters) -The Canadian government has approved Glencore's $6.93 billion acquisition of miner Teck Resources' steelmaking coal unit with strict conditions to preserve jobs, the country's industry minister said on Thursday. To secure the approval, Glencore has agreed to maintain Canadian headquarters for Elk Valley Resources (EVR) for at least 10 years, ensure a majority of the directors of EVR are Canadians, and maintain significant employment levels at EVR for no less than five years, the ministry said. In a separate statement, Teck said it would use the deal proceeds to buy back up to C$2.75 billion ($2 billion) of its Class B subordinate voting shares, reduce its debt by up to $2 billion and fund near-term copper growth.