Treaty-permitted flagships would carry a prestige value distinct from ordinary cruisers. Some Dominion governments could build the supporting infrastructure and maintain the flagship by stripping money from the rest of the navy. Australia is considered less likely to make that tradeoff. Canada presents a different possibility: the crew of a large flagship could provide a larger trained manpower pool than its navy historically possessed in 1939.
Notable Point · 26:35-27:18
How Dominion flagships could consume budgets or build a naval workforce
A large flagship could drain a small navy's budget, while Canada's small starting force might gain a useful pool of trained personnel.