▁limit ing ▁its ▁imports . ▁Wor ried ▁that ▁Canada ▁might ▁become ▁an ▁alternate ▁source ▁for ▁restricted ▁American ▁products , ▁Australia ▁included ▁Canada ▁in ▁its ▁program . ▁" Here ", ▁declared ▁Canada ' s ▁out rag ed ▁under - secret ary ▁of ▁state ▁for ▁external ▁affairs , ▁"[ was ] ▁economic ▁national ism ▁with ▁a ▁ven ge ance ." ▁ ▁The ▁' tra de ▁di version ' ▁controvers y ▁subs ided ▁when ▁Washington ▁managed ▁to ▁conv ince ▁the ▁Australian ▁cabinet ▁to ▁drop ▁the ▁plan . ▁Ne ither ▁the ▁rav aging ▁de pression ▁nor ▁German ▁or ▁Japanese ▁ag gression ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 3 0 s ▁could ▁un ite ▁the ▁two ▁countries ▁after ▁years ▁of ▁division . ▁Canada ▁suggested ▁that ▁the ▁two ▁countries ▁exchange ▁high ▁commission ers ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁encou rage ▁a ▁closer ▁" exchange ▁of ▁views ". ▁These ▁propos als ▁were ▁rejected ▁as ▁" ino pport une ". ▁Australia ▁was ▁against ▁expl oring ▁new ▁forms ▁of ▁representation ▁which ▁would ▁limit ▁British ▁control ▁in ▁the ▁Empire , ▁while ▁Canada ▁sc off ed ▁at ▁such ▁a ▁Col onial ▁view . ▁This ▁was ▁certainly ▁not ▁an ▁unf air ▁car ic ature ▁of ▁Canadian ▁policy . ▁Mack en zie ▁King , ▁aware ▁of ▁the ▁stra in ▁that ▁de pression ▁and ▁the ▁threat ▁of ▁war ▁placed ▁on ▁national ▁unity , ▁stud iously ▁avoided ▁international ▁commit ments . ▁Canada ' s ▁fate , ▁he ▁ins isted , ▁would ▁be ▁decided ▁by ▁Parliament ▁alone . ▁The ▁Canadian ▁attitude ▁was ▁un sett ling ▁and ▁seemed ▁to ▁indicate ▁that ▁Canada