The National Policy-Old and New

Abstract

THE CANADIAN SYSTEM of protective tariffs has long been known as the National Policy. Professor Underhill describes this designation as stroke of genius.1 We gladly bow to the judgment of Professor Underhill, with one proviso, namely, that we may regard this description of the protective system as stroke of political genius, and not necessarily as genius in the abstract and absolute. No one can doubt the political sagacity of the appeal made to the Canadian electorate in 1878 which claimed for the Conservatives an exclusive proprietary right to the formula for nation building. In retrospect we can readily recognize the contribution of the protective system to the creation of the Canadian nation. We are, nevertheless, by no means able to identify the protective system as the only nation-building instrument of the past century of Canadian history. Professor Underhill does not, of course, attribute to Sir John A. Macdonald the genius which he finds implicit in the designation of the protective system as the National Policy. This indicates the exercise of proper caution, for it is clear that Macdonald displayed little originality in thus describing the tariff system. Many years ago Professor O. D. Skelton stressed the evolutionary nature of the concept of the National Policy and referred to the term as a phrase which Rose devised, Hincks stamped with his approval, and Macdonald made current.2