By Steve Scherer and Divya Rajagopal

TORONTO, April 24 (Reuters) – Mining firm Teck Resources, which is facing a $22.5 billion takeover bid from Glencore, is expected to continue to be based in Canada, the company said on Monday. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland as major shareholders squabbled over a deadline to vote on a separate plan that could scupper the deal.

Freeland’s comments were the clearest indication yet that Ottawa is closely watching the acquisition battle between Vancouver’s Teck Ltd and Switzerland’s Glencore Plc, due to Teck’s interests in copper and other metals. critical to the transition to green energy.

“We need companies like Teck here in Canada, companies with a strong commitment to Canada,” Freeland wrote in a letter seen by Reuters to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, which is concerned about the future of the mining company. in the North American country. .

Following Freeland’s comment, Glencore alluded to its April 3 letter saying the agreement “would not materially change the day-to-day operations of Teck’s Canadian assets, honor all of Teck’s commitments to local Canadian communities, as well as and to indigenous communities to ensure that their interests are recognized and protected”.

Teck did not respond to an email request for comment.

Separately, Teck’s institutional shareholders were due to vote Monday on a proposal by the miner to split its coal and metals businesses, with the results to be released on Wednesday.

Glencore said there would be no deal if shareholders vote to spin off Teck. Canada’s largest pension fund, CPPI, voted against the split over the weekend and then changed its vote in favor of the measure, according to its website.

China Investment Corporation (CIC), Teck’s largest common stock holder, did not disclose its vote.

Major investors, including the Norwegian government’s pension fund, asset managers Janus Henderson and Letko Brosseau and Teck’s mining partner Sumitomo Metals, said they would vote in favor of the split.

(Reporting by Divya Rajagopal and Steve Scherer. Editing in Spanish by Marion Giraldo)