The Financial Post reports in its Tuesday, Sept. 22, edition that Canada's oil patch is on track for its biggest deal-making year in a decade, driven by high crude prices and Prime Minister Mark Carney's backing for new pipelines. The Post's James Rose writes that oil and gas producers have seen over $30-billion in mergers and acquisitions in the past nine months, with expectations that it could exceed the $53-billion reached in 2017. However, analysts believe this consolidation cycle is different from previous ones. Fuelled Inc. chief executive officer Raj Singh says, "The last big consolidation waves in energy (in 2017) were about survival, where companies merged because they had to." In 2017, Canada's energy industry saw a wave of major asset sales, mostly driven by international majors. Shell sold nearly all of its oil sands interests to Canadian Natural Resources for roughly $11-billion. ConocoPhillips sold most its Canadian assets to Cenovus Energy for $17-billion. Mr. Singh says: "Whereas recently, we've seen a lot of clients merging from positions of strength, because it's the best outcome for shareholders at the time. That's a healthier dynamic, and it tends to produce more durable combinations."