[4] From about 1908 to 1911 Neill was the Indian Agent for the West Coast of Vancouver Island[5] enforcing federal government policies of assimilation and the residential school system.
[9] Neill was an ardent and vocal opponent of Asian and Japanese immigration and advocated for a white British Columbia.
At the end of his speech he stated: "The important planks are those with reference to the restriction of Japanese control of the fishing industry, the immigration of Asiatics, the eight hour law, old age pensions.
The time for that has passed; we want them to stop standing, pick up their feet, move ahead, make some progress toward bringing about a white British Columbia.
Neill was a strong proponent of Japanese internment and spoke of his distrust of Japanese-Canadians during a speech in February 1942.
"[14] Amidst the Second World War during a debate in 1943 about Japanese Internment, fellow MP Angus MacInnis described Neill's statements as "flesh-creeping".
[19] In 2018, it was discovered that Neill had a racist covenant placed on his house in Port Alberni (built in 1909), forbidding any persons of Asian descent from living in it, aside from servants.
Alberni District Secondary School, Port Alberni, BC students Sarah Higginson, Katie Sara and Justin McFadden from Anne Ostwald's Social Justice class successfully petitioned to have the covenant removed from the house title.