History 3315: Medicare

By; Jessica Austin, Jordan

Evans, Kelly Miada, Stefano
Pandolfo, & Madison Rogers
 The Liberal Party and the Achievement of National Medicare
P.E Bryden. “The Liberal Party and the Achievement
of National Medicare”, CBMH/ BCHM/ University of
Victoria, (2009), Vol. 26, No.2, pp. 315-332.

This article discusses the coming of medicare in Canada and the Liberal parties fight to implement medicare
for citizens. As early as 1919 the Liberal party of Canada wanted to implement a type of medicare for
Canadians, by Mackenzie King's government. The effect of the depression on farmers in Canada was an
early setting to show Canadians inability to pay for medical care when needed. In 1942 Mackenzie King's
government, and the provincial government of British Columbia was one of the first provinces to be
interested in medicare. The article goes on to discuss that after the war in the 1950’s other provincial
governments from BC, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Ontario met to discuss furthering medicare for
Canada, which led to hospital insurance to come into effect in 1957. The hospital insurance and diagnostic
After a Tumultuous Decade, a Political Forecast f
services act from 1957 made it possible for the Liberal government to attempt to inject medicare into
or the Roaring 2020s - Everything Zoomer
canada, but the next year in 1958, the Liberal party's Lester Pearson took office as Prime Minister. At the
Kingston convention, which was a convention for people to discuss and address societal problems, two
papers directly addressed health care. These papers discussed what are health problems and health needs of
Canadians, and how medicare pays into social security. In 1961 the Liberal party put forth a plan for health,
“it offered a government sponsored scheme for covering hospital, physician, drug and rehabilitation fees,
according to an agreed upon scale of fees” (P.E Bryon, page 320) but had opposition on this standpoint. In
1963 Saskatchewan introduced provincial healthcare, but although there was a doctors strike the province
stood behind it. The Quebec pension plan was also introduced and it caused the canadian pension plan to be
revised and looked over. With politicians in different provinces holding different views than the liberal
government of Canada, the federal government and provincial government didn't always see eye to eye. The
Lester B. Pearson - the Canadian who introduc
ed the publicly funded system of universal healt
h care and the Maple Leaf flag | The Vintage N
article goes on to discuss further the liberal parties struggles with medicare and the provinces of canada, but
ews
on July 1st 1968 the government made the decision to implement health insurance across canada.
 Private Practice Public Payment Summary
Naylor, David. Private Practice, Public Payment: Canadian Medicine and the Politics of
Health Insurance, 1911-1966, McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1986. Chapter 7:
Medicine in the Crucible 1: The Saskatchewan Dispute

In this article it is talking about the fight for medicare and free universal healthcare, instead of the private
practice healthcare or just for those people fortunate and rich enough to have health insurance. Tommy
Douglas was a big advocate for wanting free universal healthcare during this time period. In April of 1959
the premier at the time announced that there was going to be a “province-wide-tax-funded medicare plan”.
Although this was announced the representatives of the College of physicians and Surgeons of
Saskatchewan (SCPS) opposed this plan and wanted an extension of the health and accident benefits
through the insurance plans. This then caused an alliance because of a “common enemy”. In June of 1960
the SCPS started a campaign in which insurance was the overriding issue. During the time of the campaign
“some doctors [were actually] afraid to speak out against the college’s campaign because the chap who
[was] spreading the literature [could] also deprive them of their license”. In October of 1961 the
government decided to introduce “an act to provide for Payment for Services rendered to Certain Persons
by Physicians and Certain Other Persons”. However the (SCPS) was not consulted or notified of this act,
which ultimately led to the doctors going on strike, which lasted for quite a while. This also caused the The Road To Medicare In Canada – Canadian History Ehx (canadaehx.com)
SCPS to think that the government could no longer be trusted. In November and December of 1961 the
college president refused invitations from the minister of health, because of everything that was going on.
At this time the SCPS was also “already planning means to assist doctors economically through a period
of resistance to participation”, within the government program. In February 1962 the government admitted
to not consulting with the SCPS and decided to have their Act and regard it as “a form of civil conscription
of the profession of medicine and [and that they would] attempt to put [the Act] under the control of
government…”. This ultimately led to the idea of having a better improved mental health services and
homecare services. By April people were able to finally get receipts from there health care appointments,
send them into their insurance agency and get reimbursed or get most of the money back. In doing so by
July 1962 many doctors decided to shut down their own personal offices, which was also due to the new
“...efficient and free emergency [service]” that were now available. By the time the strike was over and
negotiations were settled in 1962 there were “[25] additional hospitals [that] were in service and over 100
hospitals [that] were serving public needs”. In conclusion through all of this the Canadian medical
healthcare officially began, and slowly has built up to the healthcare system we have today. Now making
Canada one of the few countries in the World with free healthcare. Buckdog: When The Right Wing Tried To Prevent Medicare In Can
ada - 1962 (buckdogpolitics.blogspot.com)
 Sources
P. E. Bryden Article: Liberal Party and Achievement
- There are no graphs or tables used.
- News Sources (The Globe and Mail)
- Green Book Proposals

David Naylor Article: The Saskatchewan Dispute

- 2 tables were used: Table 6 was the “Enrolment in Medical Service Plans vs Number
of Municipal Doctor Contracts, Saskatchewan, 1951-61” & Table 7 was the results of
the“Special Committee on Prepaid Medical Care 1960 Survey” (Where were these
sources from?).
- George Orwell? Why is he a source?
- Tommy Douglas’ Quote.
 Compare and Contrast
Similarities Differences
● Both outline the importance of federal- ● Bryden speaks on Liberal National policy
provincial negotiations while Naylor centers in Saskatchewan
● Both show the importance of Medicare in ● Naylor uses statistical charts to further key
campaign priorities during times of election points
● Naylor focuses on how the legislation
affected medical professionals while
Bryden focuses on the legislation itself

https://wayback.archive-it.org/14753/20201022051115/http://digital.scaa.sk.ca/gallery/ https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/osler-library/
medicare/en_display.php?ref=en_doc-strike&max=114&dir=doctors-strike&img=26 saskatchewan-doctors-strike-1962/
 Political Medicare Cartoons

Civilization.ca - History of Canadian Medicare - 1968-1978 Civilization.ca - History of Canadian Medicare - 1948-1958 - British Columbia Hospital Insurance Service (historymuseum.ca)
- Quebec and Medicare (historymuseum.ca)
 Discussion Questions
1. In the book Medicare in the Crucible 1: the Saskatchewan Dispute, by David Naylor,
“Less than two weeks later, on Friday 13 October 1961, the government introduced
‘An Act to provide for Payment for Services rendered to Certain Persons by
Physicians and Certain Other Persons.’ The SCPS (Saskatchewan College of
Physicians and Surgeons) was neither notified nor consulted concerning the
introduction of this legislation. Reasons for such hasty action by the government
remain unclear.”

From this quote, what do we learn about why the doctors in Saskatchewan went on strike?
 Discussion Questions
2. In the article The Liberal Party and the Achievement of National Medicare, by P.E.
Bryden, what do we learn about how the Liberal party achieved Medicare?

3. What article did you find was stronger and why? Was there any weaknesses or are there
any improvements you would make?