Tuesday, January 28th 2025

Tommy Douglas and the Quest for Medicare in Canada in the 20th Century: Critical discussion of Dr. Gregory Marchildon's book

Join us as Dr. Gregory Marchildon discusses his latest book Tommy Douglas and the Quest for Medicare in Canada in the 20th Century which is followed by critical analyses featuring economics professor, Dr. Stephen Law, international relations student, Sarah McCracken, and Canadian public policy professor, Dr. Mario Levesque. // Book Description: How and why was universal health coverage implemented so early in a poverty-stricken province in Canada? Why was its design so faithfully replicated in the national standards that ultimately shaped Medicare across the rest of Canada? The book traces the origins of Medicare back to the 1930s Depression and its devastating impact on the Prairie populations. Marchildon examines how Tommy Douglas and a new generation of reformers, radicalized by the Depression, prioritized socialized health care. The book reveals how, as the provincial party leader, Douglas leveraged support from both local and external allies to rapidly implement universal hospital insurance and lay the groundwork for a new health system. // Despite strong opposition from physician and business lobbies, Douglas continued to pressure the government for federal cost-sharing of universal health coverage. Drawing on archival sources including speeches, television broadcasts, and cabinet documents, Tommy Douglas and the Quest for Medicare in Canada illuminates how Douglas’s vision, leadership, and coalition-building among unions were crucial to the successful establishment of Medicare in Canada.