CANADA AND E.E.C.

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29734, 30 January 1962, Page 10

CANADA AND E.E.C.

Preference Retaliation

(N.Z.P.A.-Reut»r—Copyright) VANCOUVER, January 27.

If Britain joined the Common Market and took trade preferences away from Canada, “we will take the equivalent away from them,” the Canadian Trade Minister. Mr George Hees, said in an interview.

Interviewed after a political speech, he said that Canada would have to make up the lost preferences somewhere.

“If they take these trading arrangements away from us we’ll take the equivalent away from them it’s jus* cold, hard business,” he told the Canadian Press.

Mr Hees was interviewed after a political speech in which he said Canada was struggling to ensure that Commonwealth preferences, which governed a fifth of Canada’s trade, were maintained.

Commenting on criticism of Canadian wheat sales to Communist China, Mr Hees said Canada would sell “anything anywhere.” The minister said that selling wheat to China was “business with us.” “They want wheat so we sell it to them. We don’t know what they do with it, but well sell anything, except war goods, anywhere. “And if we can sell 18 million dollars worth of goods to Cuba and provide more jobs for Canadians, to me that’s good butt new,” he said.