Good morning. This year featured stories about bankruptcies, takeover attempts, central bank attacks, and suspicious chicken. Today, we hit rewind on some of the more notable quotables. First, a quick programming note: I’ll be gone ice fishing (metaphorically speaking) until the new year. Thanks for reading and writing – and feel free to find me as always at cws@globeandmail.com.

Playing defence: Matthew Bromberg, the new CEO of Montreal-based CAE Inc., spoke with The Globe about the booming future he sees ahead for the aviation and defence training company.

Man in Washington: Prime Minister Mark Carney has officially named former BlackRock executive Mark Wiseman as Canada’s next ambassador to the United States.

Battle for Warner Bros.: Paramount is sweetening its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. with a $40.4-billion “irrevocable personal guarantee” from billionaire Larry Ellison – who is also the father of Paramount’s CEO David Ellison.

There were so many calls, hot takes, and conflicting – yet equally confident – predictions, that it was hard to settle on just a few. Let me know what I missed.

“I think that Jonathan Price should be nominated to the Canadian Mining Hall of Shame, and the entire board of Teck should join him.”

- Mining industry titan Pierre Lassonde, on the proposed Anglo takeover of Teck. Price is the CEO of Teck

“So another key aspect of our business was that we took deliberate steps to not have dis-synergies through the spin.”

- South Bow Corp. CEO Bevin Wirzba discussing the company’s spin-off from TC Energy

“MEG’s board left more money on the table in this transaction than any public company M&A transaction in Canada in the last 20 years. This is going to go up there with the Dutch in 1626 buying Manhattan from the Native Americans for $24.”

- MEG Energy executive chair Adam Waterous

“I never thought I would have ended up in such a ‘cloak and dagger’ drama situation.”

- Augo Pinho, the head of a former chicken supplier to Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, describing his decision to covertly follow a man suspected of supplying unsafe meat to the fast food chain

“Do I think that he had an idea and a vision about being a retailer? Yes, I do. Do I think he suddenly figured out that it was much harder than he thought it was? Yes, I do.”

- Former Hudson’s Bay executive Evelyn Reynolds, on Richard Baker, the man who presided over the collapse of a 355-year-old Canadian retail icon

“Totally gobbledygook illogical, anyone who in any way challenges our financial capability going forward.”

- Baker in 2020, responding to a reporter’s question about whether the department store retailer could be in financial trouble

“You have engaged in a calculated campaign of obfuscation and delay, to the great detriment of 7&i and its shareholders.”