~TOMMY DOUGLAS, FATHER OF CANADA MEDICARE, SOCIAL DEMOCRAT, KIEFER SUTHERLAND GRANDPA:)

Last edited Sat Jan 16, 2016, 11:19 AM - Edit history (2)

>VIDEO: 'TOMMY DOUGLAS, THE FATHER OF MEDICARE/SINGLE-PAYER UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE'. *A Rating. 5 mins.

~ TOMMY DOUGLAS, Father of Canada's Single-Payer Healthcare, Baptist Minister, Influential Progressive Politician, Social Democrat Leader, Social & Equal Justice Advocate, Visionary Achiever, The Greatest Canadian of All Time ~

Canadian Tommy Douglas was one of the most highly regarded and exceptional public figures of the 20th century. He was born Thomas Clement Douglas in 1904 in Falkirk, Scotland and migrated with his family to Winnipeg, Canada in 1910. At age 12 Tommy was diagnosed with a serious bone infection and his parents could not afford treatment. He would have lost his leg if not for a visiting surgeon who took an interest in him and provided Tommy with the needed medical care. This early experience influenced Tommy Douglas throughout his life.

During the 1920s to 1930s Tommy Douglas experienced the hardships of the Great Depression, traveled, received formal education, married and found his way into politics. In 1935 he was elected to the House of Commons as a member of the Saskatchwan Farmer Labour Party which became the CCF, Cooperative Commonwealth Federation and later evolved into the New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP).

Tommy Douglas served as Premier of the province of Saskachewan between 1944-1961. Some of the many progressive, innovative policies he advanced included paved roads, electric power to family farms and villages, improved healthcare and broader education including a Canadian medical college. In 1947, Tommy introduced universal access to hospitals for a small fee, the first program of its kind. In 1962 his idea for a single-payer, universal health care system was introduced, the first in North America. The successful Medicare service as it's called was a model public health insurance program that became adopted nationally in Canada in 1966.

Under his governance Tommy also implemented a raised minimum wage, established mandatory holidays, set workers' compensation standards and supported the creation of advanced labor relations and union membership. His government was the first social democratic one in North America. Over the following years Tommy Douglas became leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP) and served in the House of Commons. His active retirement years were spent in Ottawa where he received many tributes and awards. Tommy passed away in 1986. In 1998, Thomas Clement Douglas was named to the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. And in 2004 Tommy Douglas was elected The Greatest Canadian of All Time by Canadians. ~



- Actor Kiefer Sutherland at unveiling of statue of his famous grandfather, Tommy Douglas in Saskatchewan, Canada-



*Wiki, TOMMY DOUGLAS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Douglas