Ask a Canadian for one thing about our country that we are most proud of, and the likely answer you will get is our universal healthcare system, in fact it’s an answer you are more likely to get than the flag, the charter, and the national anthem1! It is no secret that we as Canadians take great pride in the fact that we have a socialized healthcare system where no-one in need of a doctor is turned away. Our system is the yield of a now over a century-long project, a project that is yet unfinished.
The origins of our great project date back to as early as 1915 when municipalities in Saskatchewan began to hire doctors that were to provide free medical care to all needing members of their communities2. In 1919 during the influenza pandemic, the federal government began to investigate3 assuming a role in protecting the health of Canadians.
The debate ended with the creation of a Department of Health to prevent the spread of diseases, and to promote “the health and social welfare of the people of Canada”4. Most notably, only one(!) member of the house spoke in favour of “giving every poor man, woman and child in this country free medical service from the cradle to the grave”5.
In the 1920s, looking for support, the Liberal party under the lead of William Lyon Mackenzie made a vague promise to provide insurance against sickness6, but when put to the test by former Labour party leader and first leader of the CCF J. S. Woodsworth, the Liberal party bowed down and chose to not fulfill their promise7.
With the advent of the Great Depression in the 1930s, many Canadians lost their ability to pay for healthcare, and as a result many doctors were not able to provide for even their own families, yet the demand for healthcare remained8. Due to the economic situation, many provincial governments attempted to solve the problems with a plethora of systems.
As the crisis worsened, many premiers asked, but Conservative Prime Minister of the day, R.B. Bennett refused to help fund their various systems9, arguing that provinces were managing and that private insurance companies were working to help. Eventually, with much argument and squabbling over jurisdiction, a plan was created, but with the onset of WWII, it was quickly placed on the backburner10.
In 1944 the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (the precursor to today’s NDP), led by Tommy Douglas, formed the first-ever socially democratic government in the country in Saskatchewan. His government was quick to get to work, and within 4 short years created the first-ever universal hospital insurance program in North America, and by 1962 the Saskatchewan CCF had created the first universal Medicare program11.
In a 1944 Gallup poll, 80% of Canadians regarded medical services as a social necessity rather than something to be bought and sold12. This socially democratic government showed what was possible when politicians truly believed in the causes they championed and catered to the will of the people. It’s no wonder that in 2004 Canadians declared Tommy Douglas as the Greatest Canadian, he and his government did what the public wanted, for the benefit of all Saskatchewanians.
Despite public opinion, it took the two federal governing parties until 1966 to finally table a plan to remove profit from healthcare and ensure that all Canadians benefit from high-quality healthcare no-matter their economic status. Our great project was finally fittingly delivered to Canadians on Canada day, in 1968. From beginning to end, the project had taken over 49 years! Canada’s proudest project had reached a position that looked near completion, but it was far from finished.
Just as our proud accomplishment was getting off the ground, efforts were being made to tear it back down. Funding was being cut, users were being billed for extra services, and key parts of healthcare such as dental-care and medications were not covered by government plans. Fast forward to today, and little has been added since the project reached its 1980’s heights following the passing of the Canada Health act, in-fact much has been lost.
It is no-secret to us Canadians that our healthcare systems are in dire need of attention and funding. Cuts to funding made by all governing parties and levels of government13 have led to significant wait times14 for far too many Canadians in need of care. The project is far from over, and we need to keep building it.
A New Democrat government will work with the provinces and territories to tackle wait times and improve access to primary care across the country by improving funding, opposing privatization and user fees, identifying coming gaps in health human resources and making a plan to recruit and retain the doctors, nurses, and other health professionals Canadians need15.
But it doesn’t stop there. We need to continue to build on our great source of pride. It is no secret to Canadians that our healthcare system isn’t free. Canadians lack socialized access to many very critical areas of healthcare including prescription drugs16, dental care17, mental health care18, and vision care19. Despite countless government promises, reports and commissions, we have still yet to finish the project. Building it is something most all Canadians can agree on, public opinion polling suggests that 66% of Canadians agree21, and a whopping 88%22 agree that we should start with a program to provide all Canadians with access to prescription drugs.
Canada’s NDP has long pledged20 to continue the project of providing universal healthcare to all Canadians regardless of economic status by providing pharmacare, universal dental care, mental healthcare, vision care, and hearing care in a single payer fashion. It is beyond time to finish the project and Canadians do not deserve to wait any longer to carry-on building one of our proudest and greatest accomplishments.