Cirque du Soleil downplays reports it could be sold
Montreal-based circus company searching for a 'strategic partner'
The Cirque du Soleil is downplaying reports the Montreal-based circus could be sold.
Renée-Claude Ménard, senior director of public relations for the circus, told CBC News the company is searching for a "strategic partner."
"This is a very long process and [founder and majority shareholder] Guy Laliberté will take the time necessary to evaluate all available options," Ménard said.
According to a report in the Globe and Mail, bidders have been given until next week to submit offers for a controlling stake in Cirque du Soleil Group.
The report sparked concern from Quebec politicians, including Minister of Economy and Innovation Jacques Daoust, who said it's crucial the company remain in Quebec.
"It is important to keep it, because it is one of our success stories, and I am very proud of the Cirque du Soleil," Daoust said.
The government will wait and see what happens next before discussing whether it's necessary for it to intervene, the minister said.
The province's pension fund manager — the Caisse de dépôt — refused to comment on whether it could be a potential investor.