I felt that no boy should have to depend either for his leg or his life upon the ability of his parents to raise enough money to bring a first-class surgeon to his bedside. And I think it was out of this experience, not at the moment consciously, but through the years, I came to believe that health services ought not to have a price tag on them, and that people should be able to get whatever health services they require irrespective of their individual capacity to pay.

Tommy Douglas

Thomas Clement (“Tommy”) Douglas, CC, premier of Saskatchewan, first leader of the New Democratic Party, Baptist minister and politician (born 20 October 1904 in Falkirk, Scotland; died 24 February 1986 in Ottawa, Ontario). As premier of the province of Saskatchewan, Douglas led the first socialist government elected in Canada, which implemented the government-funded Saskatchewan Hospital Services Plan in 1947. It was the first hospital insurance plan in Canada and was followed by the Saskatchewan Medical Care Insurance Act in 1961. When the federal government (a minority Liberal gov't) passed the Medical Care Act in 1966, Douglas (the leader of the 3rd-place New Democratic Party) became recognized as the father of socialized medicine in Canada. He also helped establish democratic socialism in mainstream Canadian politics. (https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca)

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