Canada. Royal Commission on Depart. of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment : The Royal Commission to Investigate Charges of Political Partisanship in the Department of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment was established under Order in Council, P.C. 1293, 30 June 1927, under Part I of the Inquiries Act (R.S.C., 1906, c.104), and on the recommendation of the acting prime minister. The Commission was mandated to inquire into and report upon charges of political partisanship in the service of the Department of Soldiers' Civil Re-Establishment at Toronto, London and Ottawa, the procedure to be in accordance with the terms of Order in Council, P.C. 1467, 22 July 1922, as amended by P.C. 2125, 16 October 1922. The commissioner was Alfred Taylour Hunter.
On 8 May 1928, the Minister of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment, James H. King, tabled affidavits in the House of Commons alleging political partisanship by employees of the Christie Street Hospital in Toronto.
The allegations concerned dismissals of employees who supported the Liberal Party. It was alleged, for example, that since 1922 six out of nine Liberal employees in the Employment Bureau of the Hospital were dismissed, but only one Conservative; that 10 members of the medical staff dismissed since 1921 were Liberal supporters; and that disparities existed in the salaries of Liberal supporters, as opposed to Conservatives, in the Employment Bureau, the Medical Unit, and the Surgical Unit. In one instance, some employees in the Surgical Unit claimed that since 1920 Liberal supporters received about 50 less a year than Conservative ones.
Partiality for supporters of the Conservative Party was further evidenced by statements of two doctors of the surgical staff. They told of an abortive attempt by some patients and orderlies to disrupt a Liberal meeting in the riding of North York where the Prime Minister was a candidate. At that time, employees of the Hospital were warned about the consequences of engaging in political partisanship.
Acts of partisanship also seemed evident in the administration of "D" unit of the Hospital. In his report, Commissioner Hunter elaborated on these charges:
"It has been steadily forced on my attention that there is by these employees believed to have been a system at work during the last six years which has been operating for the remorseless attrition of Liberal employees of the department."
The Government of Canada, which maintained that these charges of political partisanship constituted "engaging in partisan work", within the meaning of Section 32 of the Civil Service Act (R.S.C., 1927, c.22) ordered an investigation be made into them. (See Report of Royal Commission Appointed to Investigate Charges of Political Partisanship in the Department of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment. Ottawa, King's Printer, 1928 and Sessional Paper 118b, 1928, RG 14, D2, Vol. 178).
In-camera hearings of the commission were held in Toronto, London and Ottawa from 14 July to 14 November 1927. RG33-86 General Inventory
