and of transport as well as by improvement in the 
     manufacture of the finished product. As a consequence, 
     energy in the colony was drawn into the production of the 
     staple commodity both directly and indirectly. Population 
     was involved directly in the production of the staple and 
     indirectly in the production of facilities promoting 
     production. Agriculture, industry, transportation, trade, 
     finance, and governmental activities tend to become 
     subordinate to the production of the staple for a more 
     highly specialized manufacturing community. These 
     general tendencies may be strengthened by governmental 
     policy as in the mercantile system but the importance of 
     these policies varies in particular industries. Canada 
     remained British in spite of free trade and chiefly because 
     she continued as an exporter of staples to a progressively 
     industrialized mother country.