The Canadian Answer to Doyle's Report

Andrew Doyle's report was sent to the Governor-General of Canada with a request that the Canadian government consider it. As its House of Commons’ Select Committee on Immigration and Colonisation was sitting at the time, the matter was referred to them. When John Lowe, the Deputy Minister in the Department of Agriculture, appeared before the Committee he was asked how Doyle's allegations should be met. His view was that a general statement about the condition of the children would be insufficient. What was needed, he believed, was ‘a detailed report based upon a full inspection’. It was agreed that an enquiry should be conducted in order to collect information in much the same way that Doyle had done. This would enable his conclusions to be checked. Nevertheless, the commencement of the work waited on the outcome of discussions about whether it should be carried out by the Dominion or by the provincial governments. Without waiting for the enquiry to be started Charles Pelletier, the Minister of Agriculture, told the Privy Council that the ‘testimony which has been adduced from different parts of the Dominion … is sufficient to lead to the conclusion that the work … has been generally beneficial and particularly to the children themselves’. In justification of this view he referred to what Mr Justice Dunkin (the former Minister of Agriculture and supporter of Louisa Birt's work) had told the Select Committee. This was that:

Despite such a confident assertion five of the Dominion's immigration agents were commissioned to undertake the recommended enquiry. Parr provides a disturbing account of how this was carried out. Among other things ‘the Homes were informed in advance of the inspector's approach’ and ‘representatives of the agencies were allowed to substitute their own reports for submission by government inspectors’.

It is not surprising therefore that the final report of the inspections concluded that, with a few exceptions, the children were well and comfortably settled and that the work of Rye and Macpherson was to be applauded.