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The prairie province of Saskatchewan may become the next battleground for Canada’s acquisition-hungry telecom giants.

After BCE Inc. and Telus Corp. signed a deal to carve up Manitoba’s subscribers, the industry is turning its attention to the possibility that Saskatchewan could sell off its government- owned telecommunications provider.

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Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp., known as SaskTel, is still in government hands, even after other provinces privatized their services over two decades ago. Now, with a new government facing a soaring debt load amid a weakening economy, the arguments in favour of privatizing are building.

“If there’s any time to do it, now would be the time,” said Ken Rasmussen, a professor at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy in Regina, Saskatchewan. The conservative-leaning Saskatchewan Party is inclined to sell, all they need is a compelling argument to bring to voters worried about job losses and price increases, he said.