page_title: History of U.S. foreign policy, 1897–1913
section_title: Canada rejects reciprocal trade treaty
hierarchical_section_title: History of U.S. foreign policy, 1897–1913 / Arbitration and mediation / Canada rejects reciprocal trade treaty
caption_attribution_description: English: "When our interests clash, whose ox is likely to get gored?" Political cartoon suggests the imbalance of benefit from en:Reciprocity (Canadian politics) between the United States and Canada. The food in the pig trough reads "Canadian Raw Materials" Publisher: W. S. Johnston &amp; Co. Ltd. (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
context_page_description: The history of U.S. foreign policy from 1897–1913 concerns the foreign policy of the United States during the Presidency of William McKinley, Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, and Presidency of William Howard Taft. The period began with the inauguration of McKinley in 1897 and continued until the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson and the 1914 outbreak of World War I, which marked the start of new era in U.S. foreign policy.
  During this era, the United States emerged as a great power that was active even outside of its traditional area of concern in the Western Hemisphere. Major events included the Spanish–American War, the permanent annexation of Hawaii, the temporary annexation of the Philippines, the annexation of Puerto Rico, the Roosevelt Corollary regarding oversight of Latin America, the building of the Panama Canal and the voyage of the Great White Fleet that showed the world the powerful rebuilt U.S. Navy. S. foreign policy, 1861–1897. S. foreign policy, 1913–1933.
  The Cuban War of Independence against Spain broke out in 1895, and many Americans demanded American intervention in the war to stop Spanish cruelty. The business community and top GOP leaders held back.
context_section_description: Anti-Americanism reached a shrill peak in 1911 in Canada. 
  Taft hoped to regain momentum with a reciprocity treaty with Canada that represented a step toward free trade of the sort that had prevailed  1854–1866.  The Liberal government in Ottawa under Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier happily negotiated a Reciprocity treaty that would lower tariffs and remove many trade barriers. Canadian manufacturing interests were alarmed that free trade would allow the bigger and more efficient American factories to take their Canadian markets. Conservatives in Canada opposed an accord, fearing  more Americanization would result as Canada reoriented away from Britain, which was losing economic status, and be pulled toward the huge economy to the South.  Quebec Catholics were warned the Church would be disestablished if Canada became part of the United States. 
  American farm and fisheries interests, and paper mills, objected because  they would lose tariff protection. Nonetheless, Taft reached an agreement with Canadian officials in early 1911, and Congress approved it in late July, 1911. However, the Canadian Parliament deadlocked over the issue, and Canada called the 1911 election. It turned on economic and fears and especially on Canadian nationalism. Fear of potential loss outweighed hoped for gains as the Conservatives made it a central issue, warning that it would be a "sell out" to the United States with economic annexation a grave threat. The Conservative slogan was "No truck or trade with the Yankees", as they appealed to Canadian nationalism and nostalgia for the British Empire to win a major victory.  The treaty was dead and this unexpected loss for Taft further hurt his reputation.
caption: A 1911 Conservative campaign poster warns that the big American companies ("trusts") will hog all the benefits of reciprocity as proposed by Liberals, leaving little left over for Canadian interests
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