Would cheaper cruisers have persuaded Canada to build more?

Would cheaper light cruisers have persuaded Canada to build a larger fleet?

Probably not. The expected political limit was only a few ships, and Washington imposed no separate heavy-cruiser quota.

Canada was unlikely to fund more than about four cruisers, whatever their armament. A mixed force of two County-class ships and two light cruisers was therefore an alternative to assuming that cheaper ships would produce a larger program. Washington set a ceiling of 10,000 tons and eight-inch guns without separating light and heavy cruiser allowances. The later combination of six-inch triple turrets and a high rate of fire had not yet developed enough to overwhelm the eight-inch gun through saturation fire.