Commission to Inquire into and Report upon the Circumstances Leading to the Dismissal of Mr. George Walker from the Position of District Supervisor of the Prairie Farm Assistance Administration; and Irregularities Alleged To Have Occurred in the Processing of Claims for Benefits under the Provisions of the Prairie Farm Assistance Act and the Payment of Such Claims, Relative to the Crop Grown in the Year 1962 in the Province of Saskatchewan (Canada) : The Commission to Inquire into and Report Upon the Circumstances Leading to the Dismissal of Mr. George Walker from the Position of District Supervisor of the Prairie Farm Assistance Administration; and Irregularities Alleged to have Occurred in the Processing of Claims for Benefits Under the Provisions of the Prairie Farm Assistance Act and the Payment of such Claims, Relative to the Crop Grown in the year 1962 in the Province of Saskatchewan was established under Order in Council 1896, 21 December 1963, under the Part I of the Inquiries Act (R.S.C., 1952, c.154) and on the recommendation of the prime minister. The Commission was mandated to inquire into and report on: (a) the circumstances leading to the dismissal of Mr. George Walker from the position of District Supervisor of Prairie Farm Assistance Administration; and (b) irregularities alleged to have occurred in the processing of claims for benefits under the provisions of the Prairie Farm Assistance Act and the payment of such claims, relative to the crop grown in the year 1962 in the Province of Saskatchewan. The Commissioner was Harold Walpole Pope. The Secretary was F.G. Wagner.
In August 1963 George Walker, who was the District Supervisor, Prairie Farm Assistance Administration (PFAA) for the Swift Current area since his appointment in December 1962, was dismissed on the recommendation of his director, because it was alleged that he did not perform his duties satisfactorily.
Walker's dismissal was based on a letter dated 5 August 1963, that the Director of the PFAA in Regina, H.S. Riddell, sent to the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, S.C. Barry. This letter contained information on how Walker had performed his duties. It was revealed in the House of Commons by the Minister of Agriculture, Harry Hays, on 3 December 1963:
"The administration of the PFAA in the Swift Current area was most unsatisfactory and, all in all, a situation had developed where there was a lack of any coordination between the Swift Current office and head office in Regina. The supervisor was simply not carrying out the director's instructions. His utter lack of cooperation with the Regina office was one fault, and his disregard for the director and Mr. W.F. Davies, the superintendent, could not be overlooked. Although he was quite conversant with the operations of the Prairie Farm Assistance Act from experience gained as office manager for his predecessor, he made no effort to check inspectors who were not properly carrying out their duties when taking cultivated acreage reports from farmers in the area. In a number of instances he failed to carry out the inspections of those townships which were contiguous to other townships which had been declared eligible for award by the board of review. This is one phase of the administration that is quite necessary, and it is insisted that each supervisor complete the inspection of such townships."
"He was explicitly instructed not to endeavour to answer any correspondence with officials of rural municipalities or farmers in his area, but rather that all such correspondence be directed to the Regina Office, where files are kept for reply. He disregarded instructions in this matter. He refused to cooperate in the investigations of alleged irregularities in some cultivated acreage reports which were filed in his area for awards. A situation developed in the area under his supervision which the director felt required a recheck of certain townships, but he received no cooperation whatsoever from Mr. Walker in making these rechecks."
Earlier on 28 November, the Minister of Agriculture had charged in the House of Commons that Walker was taking orders from Jack McIntosh, the Member of Parliament for Swift Current - Maple Creek, instead of from his director. Although the minister withdrew his remarks on 3 December, McIntosh raised a question of privilege in regard to them and the matter was referred to the Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections. After three days of sittings, this committee recommended that the Government of Canada establish an independent judicial inquiry to investigate Walker's dismissal and matters related to it. (See House of Commons, Debates, 3 December 1963, pp. 5359-5360; House of Commons, Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, No. 17, Ottawa, 1964; and Report of the Prairie Farm Assistance Administration Commission of Inquiry, Ottawa, 1964.)
Hearings of the Commission were held in Regina, Swift Current and Gravelbourg from 4 February to 4 May 1964. More than 200 exhibits were filed with the Commission. RG33-75 General Inventory