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The History of Universal Healthcare in Canada

Updated: Nov 23, 2020

By: Chloe Fine


 

The Covid-19 pandemic has stretched our healthcare system's resources and capabilities as we have never seen before. This health crisis has given us a greater appreciation for our healthcare workers and all that they provide for our communities. It has also highlighted the value of our healthcare system that we have in place. Universal healthcare has been established within Canada for so long that it has become ingrained in our society as a regular cultural practice and right; however, it was just within the last century that this medical delivery system was forged within Canada and spread throughout the country, becoming a national structure.

On November 17th in 1961, 59 years ago, Saskatchewan introduced a universal healthcare plan, and the Saskatchewan Medical Care Insurance Act received royal assent. This marked the first form of province-wide, universal healthcare in the country's history and would certainly prove to not be the last. Under the Constitution act, Provinces are each responsible for most healthcare such as hospitals, asylums, charities and charitable institutions at a provincial level. The majority of healthcare in Canada was private before the mid-20th century. The first push for universal healthcare in Canada was also in Saskatchewan, in 1915. The municipality of Sarnia voted in favour of using tax revenue for paying their local physician. The concept gained traction during the great depression as the need for social resources increased exponentially. It was at this point that universal healthcare in times of national hardship became widely accepted. Several provinces authorized voluntary health insurance cooperatives, so families in need could get their medical bills paid.

The Saskatchewan politician, Tommy Douglas, championed universal healthcare through the '40s. It was Douglas' government that passed Canada's first universal hospital insurance plan. British Columbia and Alberta followed with their own versions by the 1950s. In 1957, the Canadian government created the Hospital Insurance and Diagnostic Services Act. This meant that people could be reimbursed to a certain extent for specific medical services. It also showed support for the movement toward socialized medicine on a federal level. By 1961, all provinces and territories had publicly funded inpatient medical services. As mentioned, Saskatchewan led the charge for further public healthcare by the passing of the medical care act in 1966. This initiative was unique for its time and can certainly be seen as having created a trend. By 1972, all provinces and territories had some form of Universal Physician services insurance plan.

This revolutionary change in the practice of medicine was not without adversity or dispute. When the medical care act was passed in Saskatchewan, Doctors went on strike for three weeks. They contested the act as they saw it as a move that could adversely affect their independence and income. These were sentiments felt by many physicians as, that same year, the Canadian Medical Association announced that they opposed all publicly funded healthcare. The majority of the criticisms regarding universal healthcare brought up at that time have largely dissipated; however, some are still relevant within the continuous discussions surrounding the countries healthcare system. Although entrenched in the way we view medicine on a national level, this is a system that is by no means unchanging. New legislation that bids to either expand or restrict its abilities and resources happens with each legislative term.

A critical aspect of universal healthcare that is important to acknowledge is the fact that since its inception, universal has never meant universally accessible. There are still many communities, especially Indigenous ones, and those in remote locations that have limited and significantly strained access to healthcare and medical resources. The current global health crisis has exemplified the harsh reality of this truth. On a grand scale, the pandemic has shown us both the immense benefits and discouraging weaknesses of this system. These informative discoveries are in keeping with the concept's history. Universal healthcare was first implemented in this country from great hardship and grew and evolved from that need. As we move forward and continue to build the Canada that we all deserve, the lessons we learned in this current time of hardship will be taken with us. It is my hope that we use them to further evolve the healthcare system into an institution that benefits all.


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