The shared Commonwealth weakness was industrial infrastructure. Canada could use its proximity to the United States to obtain machinery and expand domestic industry, while Australia still had time before war reached the Pacific to do the same. A factory building was insufficient by itself because the specialized tools inside determined whether naval equipment could be produced and sustained. Industrial mobilization therefore began with machine-tool purchases as much as with ship orders or recruiting.
Notable Point · 36:25-37:41
Machine tools underpin Commonwealth naval growth
Canada and Australia needed factories, imported machine tools, and domestic production capacity to turn manpower and plans into sustainable fleets.