ABSTRACT
Before World War II, Canada's economic relations with the United States (US) were remarkably limited given the 3,200-mile border shared by the two countries. Great Britain was Canada's largest market, absorbing 40 percent of its exports in 1938. One-third of Canadian exports went to the US and accounted for about 15 percent of US imports. US imports of crude raw materials from Canada amounted to only $36 million, including $24 million worth of nickel. Incredible though it may seem too many contemporary foreign observers, the historical record offers no evidence of a deliberate US government policy designed to assure expanding industries in the US of ever-increasing supplies of raw materials at reasonable prices. Private capital was considered more likely to be used effectively in speeding growth and, in any event, was more readily available. US investors were urged to invest in Europe as the Marshall Plan came to an end.
