To The Electors of South-East Grey

To the Electors of South-East Grey
On March 25, 1930, Mr. Gardiner, Leader of the Farm Group in the House, moved "That in the opinion of this House the present Australian Treaty should be abrogated" and the whole Farm and Labor Group supported the motion. With the abrogation of the Australian Treaty the New Zealand Treaty was also cancelled. It is necessary that we should buy from the British Empire if we wish to sell to it but we can choose what things we might to buy and since the Australian and New Zealand Treaties in their present form had caused widespread dissatisfaction it seemed best to cancel them, though we may. in the future, make treaties acceptable to the Canadian people.
Canada exported to the British Empire in the year ending March 31, 1930 goods to the value of $379,742, 478.00 and bought from the British Empire in the same year goods to the value of $252,703,704.00 Great Britain and the British Empire offer us the best market for our surplus products. To retain and extend this market we must buy British goods. It we are to buy British goods then we must extend the preference— let British goods into Canada under a lower tax than we do the goods of other countries. I favor not only the degree of British preference brought down by the Budget but a still further extension of the principle and the reduction or elimination of the Fifty Percent Clause, which at the moment, prevents British goods from entering under the preference unless 50 percent of the raw material is produced in the British Empire.
Great Birtain[sic] lets our goods into her country on free and equal terms with those grown or produced by her own people. She has also been buying much more from us than we have from her. What more do we want? What has Mr. Bennett to say on British preference—that he is willing to extend preference to Great Britain to the extent that she extends it to us? But she has already done much more. She has given us a free market, to give Canada preference she would first have to build a tariff wall around her island home and let down a few bars n one direction. Little wonder that Col. W. G. MacKendrick, D.S.O., for forty-five years a Conservative voter is moved to say in the Toronto Daily Star of July 8, 1930 page 3:
"I regret exceedingly the lack of wisdom shown by Conservative Leaders in eating their labels and turning their backs on a British preference solely because Liberals passed this splendid Empire-building measure."
"More thinking Conservatives cannot follow such anti-British Leadership and the party, will rue the day they ran themselves into this blind alley."
With a hardness of heart not in keeping with fifty years of flag waving and boastings of their superior love for the motherland the Conservative Party have renegged on a life-time of such claims."
Canadians let the Conservative Party lose for us the United States market in 1911 by listening to the well-remembered slogan. "No truck or trade with the Yankees." Are we in 1930 going to lose the British market by listening to them again? Canada's great need is markets. If we wish to sell we must also buy. We are sending you the second edition of the "New Trail" with our very best wishes.
NOW. A LONG. STRONG PULL TOGETHER ON THE 28TH. AND ITS ALL OVER BUT THE CHEERING.
Yours sincerely,
AGNES C. MACPHAIL.