Was mercantilism mutually beneficial to the mother country and to the colonies?

I would argue that mercantilism was beneficial to both the
colonies and the mother country but that it was typically much more beneficial to the
mother country.  Let us look at the example of the British colonies in North America to
illustrate this.

In a sense, mercantilism was good for the
colonies because it gave them access to the British market.  So long as the colonists
were producing things that the British wanted, they had privileged access to the markets
of the richest country in the world.  They did not have to worry about competition from
foreign countries.

However, mercantilism was better for the
mother country.  It got to set rules that prevented, for example, any colonial firms
from making goods that competed with those made in England.  It got the benefit of cheap
raw materials from the colonies and sold them more expensive finished goods in
return.

Thus, mercantilism was an unequal relationship that
helped the mother country more than it helped the colonies.