Canada. Tariff Commission (1905-1906) : In 1905 under the Liberal government of Sir Wilfred Laurier, a Tariff Commission was created to hold public hearings on the issue of the tariff in Canada. It was established in response to complaints from Canadian manufacturers that heavy duties charged on imported goods placed them at a disadvantage in the market. The commission was the second of its kind during Laurier's time in office, the first tariff commission having been held 9 years earlier in 1896. Whereas the first commission traveled to 15 Canadian cities between Winnipeg and Halifax, the Tariff Commission of 1905 traveled to 47 cities between British Columbia and Nova Scotia. Similar to the 1896 commission, the Tariff Commission of 1905 publicly invited briefs on the issue of the tariff. The Commission was chaired by Finance Minister, W.S. Fielding, who had served on the first commission in 1896. William Paterson, Minister of Customs, who had also served on the 1896 commission, served again with the commission of 1905. Sir R.. Cartwright, Minister of Trade and Commerce, L.P. Brodeur, Minister of Inland Revenue were also members of the commission. John Bain, a lawyer, was appointed the English Secretary of the commission and Marc Sauvalle acted as the French Secretary.
The main goals of the commission were to investigate the following queries; to which extent the cost of imported goods was increased over and above the tariff amount placed on the good by the government; to which extent high tariffs affected the quality of goods imported to Canada and trade and commerce in general; to which extent imported goods were being sold below the cost of production; whether or not the prices of imported goods were higher or lower than prices paid for similar articles in the past. The first meeting of the commission was held in Winnipeg on September 7, 1905. Over the course of a five month period the commissioners heard from various interest groups, including the Canadian Manufacturers' Association, farmers' organizations, as well as individual firms. The commission held its final hearing in Ottawa between February 6-8, 1906. The commission did not publish a report. On November 29, 1906, Minister of Finance W.S. Fielding announced in his budget speech that there would be a general revision of government tariff policy. These changes were passed through parliament in the form of legislation, Act to Amend the Customs Tariff, 1907 ( 6-7 George V, ch.7).
