Editing R. B. Bennett (section)

===Trade with Britain===
[[File:BennettPhone.jpg|thumb|Prime Minister Bennett, surrounded by members of the Cabinet, speaking by telephone to [[George Halsey Perley|George Perley]], Canadian Cabinet minister, at the British Empire Trade Fair at Buenos Aires]]

At the [[1930 Imperial Conference]] in [[London]], [[England]], Bennett unsuccessfully argued for an [[imperial preference]] [[free trade agreement]]. The proposal stunned the British government, despite them being pro-[[free trade]]. British newspaper ''[[The Observer]]'' asked, "Empire or not?" The [[Statute of Westminster 1931|Statute of Westminster]] in 1931 gave Canada and other [[dominion]]s' autonomy in foreign affairs. Despite Bennett declaring, "We no longer live in a political Empire", he favoured "a new economic Empire"; he still wanted the imperial preferential trade arrangement. Britain introducing a general tariff of 10 percent gave Bennett hope.<ref name="BennettBio" />

Bennett hosted the 1932 [[British Empire Economic Conference|Imperial Economic Conference]] in [[Ottawa]]; this was the first time Canada had hosted the meetings. It was attended by the leaders of the independent dominions of the British Empire (which later became the [[Commonwealth of Nations]]).<ref name="ReferenceA">''Mr. Prime Minister 1867–1964'', by [[Bruce Hutchison]], Toronto 1964, Longmans Canada.</ref> On July 21, when the conference opened, Bennett gave his opening speech that suggested that Britain might have free entry into Canada for any products that would "not injuriously affect Canadian enterprise." The conference did not result in an imperial preference free trade agreement but did result in [[Bilateral treaty|bilateral treaties]]. The bilateral treaty between Canada and Britain saw Canadian wheat, apples, and other natural products get British preferences while the British got Canadian preferences for certain metal products and textiles not made in Canada; Canada benefited from the treaty more than Britain and in a few years, Canadian exports to Britain were up 60 percent while British exports to Canada were up 5 percent.<ref name="BennettBio" />