thestar.com

Corporate Canada may not be preparing to stampede from an independent Quebec -- but some large companies are scouting the exits. Air Canada, for example, is at the top of the list of companies that must contemplate moving headquarters out of Montreal in the event of separation. The formerly government-owned airline -- whose ultra-modern head office, la rondelle (the puck), is adjacent to Montreal's Dorval airport -- has no choice but to consider flying the coop. Speaking in Farnborough, England, last week, Air Canada president Hollis Harris explained that under the terms of its privatization, the airline is required to be headquartered in a Canadian city. The office would therefore have to be shifted if Montreal ends up in a foreign country. (excerpt)