Canadian Health Coalition
  • Donate
  • Menu Canvas
    • CHC Home
    • News
    • About us
    • Campaigns
    • Take action
    • Contact
  • hello@healthcoalition.ca
  • 343-558-1788
Donate OR Subscribe
    • English
Canadian Health Coalition
  • Home
  • About us
    • Our Team
  • News
  • Campaigns
  • Take action
  • Contact
  • Donate

    Support the Canadian Health Coalition

    $
    Select Payment Method
    Personal Info

    Credit Card Info
    This is a secure SSL encrypted payment.

    Donation Total: $55.00 One Time

Moments in health care history: How Tommy Douglas did it

Homepage Commentary Moments in health care history: How Tommy Douglas did it
Commentary

Moments in health care history: How Tommy Douglas did it

October 4, 2022
By Pat Van Horne
0 Comment
484 Views

It has been 60 years since Saskatchewan pioneered Canada’s public health care system, but it started a couple of decades earlier with Tommy Douglas. How did Tommy do it? And could such commitment and resolve happen today to maintain and expand our most important social program?

Tommy Douglas was premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961, representing the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), forerunner of the NDP.

He was obsessed from the start. His entire plan for governing was built around the idea of universal health care. In his first budget as premier, 70 per cent was allocated to health, welfare and education. That year, Douglas’s government passed 72 social and economic reform laws, most of them directly or indirectly related to health care.

Here’s some of the steps he took:

  • Douglas ordered the University of Saskatchewan to expand to include a medical school to create and train more doctors;
  • Utilities, lumber, fisheries and other corporations became state-run, generating substantial revenue to pay for health care;
  • Douglas and his cabinet took a 28 per-cent pay cut;
  • Retirees were immediately given free medical, hospital and dental coverage. Treatment of cancer, tuberculosis, mental illness and venereal disease were made free to everyone in Saskatchewan.

By 1947, Saskatchewan had one of strongest economies in Canada. After just three years as premier, Douglas made the province financially stable enough to introduce universal hospitalization for all residents of Saskatchewan for an annual fee of $5.

Free hospitalization and surgery were in place, but drugs and doctors visits were not. There just wasn’t enough money. But the rest of Canada was beginning to see how well Tommy’s program was working, and they warmed to the idea.

When new Conservative Prime Minister John Diefenbaker was elected in 1958, he offered matching federal funds to any province that started a free hospitalization program.

Pat Van Horne represents the United Steelworkers on the Canadian Health Coalition’s Board of Directors. She compiles the weekly Health files for the coalition’s e-newsletter.
Tags: Medicare

Previous Story
Health Coalition supports permanent residence for all
Next Story
Health files

Related Articles

Public health care advocates Pauline Worsfold and Chris Gallaway awarded Platinum Jubilee Medal

Worsfold and Gallaway to speak on expanding Medicare on Oct....

Poilievre is on the attack, but Liberal-NDP agreement is still holding

Read this update on our Health and Hope 2025 campaign

Recent Posts

  • Budget 2023 overlooks Canada’s “dirty little secret” about federal health funding May 23, 2023
  • Canadians have three times more medical debt than Australians: poll May 23, 2023
  • Health and Hope Lobby 2023: What we heard and what’s next May 17, 2023
  • Those who suffer the most are the most vulnerable: Dakota Tipi Chief on racism in health care May 17, 2023
  • What the end of the Cambie legal saga means for public health care May 10, 2023

Tags

Canada Health Transfer Canadian Health Coalition COVID-19 Dental Care Federal Election 44 Health+Hope 2025 Health Care Workers Health Policy Home care Long-term Care Medicare Mental Health Pharmacare Plasma Privatization Racism Reproductive Health Care Solutions series
Canadian Health Coalition
116 Albert St. Suite 300
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5G3
+343.558.1788
hello@healthcoalition.ca
  • Home
  • What we do
  • Campaigns
  • News
  • Contact

Find posts prior to January 1, 2021
SearchPostsLogin
Tuesday, 23, May
Budget 2023 overlooks Canada’s “dirty little secret” about federal health funding
Tuesday, 23, May
Canadians have three times more medical debt than Australians: poll
Wednesday, 17, May
Health and Hope Lobby 2023: What we heard and what’s next
Wednesday, 17, May
Those who suffer the most are the most vulnerable: Dakota Tipi Chief on racism in health care
Wednesday, 10, May
What the end of the Cambie legal saga means for public health care
Wednesday, 10, May
Council of Canadians raising the political temperature for public pharmacare

Welcome back,