Mr. Buxton answered for the Government They still be- lieved
that the policy of the Opposition would be injurious to this country and the whole Empire. Only a very small pro- portion of oar trade with Canada could possibly be affected. As to the argument that the price of corn would rise, he was confident that if there were any rise at all, which he doubted, it would soon disappear. The Canadian farmer would, of course, increase his produce. He noticed three stages in the views of the Opposition : first, they admitted that a tax on corn would raise the price; then they denied it; finally, they declared that if corn were taxed, the British people would get it cheaper ; but if the price fell, how could the Canadian farmer be benefited ? A system which meant either disad- vantage to the British consumer or disadvantage to the Canadian producer could not possibly cement unity. Mr. Maekinder next spoke of the possibility of Western Canada breaking away some day from Eastern Canada and joining the United States. Tariff Reform, he argued, would prevent this, and was therefore an investment for the future. Other speeches represented Imperial Preference as the only salvation of the Empire, and this contention was met by the very natural retort that the argument that Canada will slip away from us unless held in some commercial leash is not very compli- mentary to Canada.
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