Sifton ordered officials to discourage such applicants, but after he resigned in 1905, his successor, Frank Oliver, was less concerned about agricultural skills. Reinforcing British values and culture in western Canada was Oliver's priority. Between 1900 and 1910, more than 560,000 British immigrants arrived.

In 1900 a Canadian essay contest open to students in every British school drew 90,000 participants. Each child received an atlas and a specially- commissioned text book. The first prize was five pounds sterling, and winners received bronze medallions embellished with Canada's coat-of-arms. It was an inspired idea, because children took the books home, where they were seen by parents. Names and addresses of Canadian agents in Britain appeared inside the cover of the atlas.