in Saskatchewan but also because he was universally regarded as the left’s most eloquent spokesman. If the real list had been revealed before the show aired, producers would "accidentally" leak the fake lists. [65] The Tommy Douglas Secondary School in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada named in his honour opened in February 2015. CCF national president David Lewis – who succeeded Coldwell as president in 1958, when the national chairman and national president positions were merged – and the rest of the new party's organizers opposed Argue's manoeuvres and wanted Douglas to be the new party's first leader. Thomas Clement Douglas PC CC SOM (20 October 1904 – 24 February 1986) was a Scottish Canadian politician who served as Premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 and Leader of the New Democratic Party from 1961 to 1971. [67] In March 2019, a plaque commemorating Douglas as the "Father of Medicare" was revealed in Regina, Saskatchewan. [48] The act, enacted previously only for wartime purposes, imposed extreme limitations on civil liberties, and gave the police and military vastly expanded powers for arresting and detaining suspects, usually with little to no evidence required. Former hosts gather to celebrate the show's 30th birthday. I buried…[two] young men in their 30s with young small families, who died because there was no doctor readily available and they hadn’t the money to get proper care.”. Elections, 1952-2005, N.B. In 1947 Douglas introduced universal hospitalization in Saskatchewan and in 1959 announced a Medicare plan for Saskatchewan. In the summer of 1962, Saskatchewan became the centre of a hard-fought struggle between the provincial government, the North American medical establishment, and the province's physicians, who brought things to a halt with the 1962 Saskatchewan doctors' strike. [29] Woodsworth had suffered a stroke earlier in the year and he needed someone to hold his notes, and Douglas still held him in very high regard, and dutifully assisted his leader. "[51] Douglas voiced similar criticism: "The government, I submit, is using a sledgehammer to crack a peanut. When his colleague Peter Mansbridge gets a "tantalizing" offer from CBS, Nash decides to leave the job so that Mansbridge…. • Terry Fox's alias was Gordon - as in superhero Flash Gordon. Check out some of the IMDb editors' favorites movies and shows to round out your Watchlist. Douglas's number one concern was the creation of Medicare. [7], In 1930, Douglas married Irma Dempsey, a music student at Brandon College. In 1981, he was invested into the Order of Canada, and he became a member of Canada's Privy Council in 1984, two years before his death. The doctors believed their best interests were not being met and feared a significant loss of income as well as government interference in medical care decisions even though Douglas agreed that his government would pay the going rate for service that doctors charged. [28] Douglas assisted Woodsworth, during his leader's speech, by holding up the pages and turning them for him, even though he disagreed with him. He moved to Weyburn, Saskatchewan after ordination in 1930. He also helped establish democratic socialism in mainstream Canadian politics. This time, though, he was inspired by pacifist social reformers like J.S. Canadians from coast to coast were asked to vote for their greatest Canadian. This experience convinced him that health care should be free to all. When the top 10 finalists were announced, Wayne Gretzky asked his supporters to vote for Terry Fox. He worked as a soap boy in a barber shop, rubbing lather into tough whiskers, then dropped out of high school at 13 after landing a job in a cork factory. Honourable T.C. [1] In 1910, his family immigrated to Canada, where they settled in Winnipeg. To prevent bias during the second round of voting, the top ten nominees were presented alphabetically rather than by order of first round popularity. Soon after their return, he witnessed the Winnipeg General Strike of
His successor, Woodrow Lloyd,
He became the leader of Saskatchewan CCF in 1942. [12], Douglas financed his education at Brandon College by conducting Sunday services at several rural churches for 15 dollars a week. In, Marshall, Tabitha, and L.d. [40], As far back as 1941, Coldwell wanted Douglas to succeed him in leading the National CCF (at that time, it was obvious that Coldwell would be assuming the national leadership in the near future). [30] He had volunteered for overseas service when a medical examination turned up his old leg problems. Halloween Across the Years, The Wrongful Conviction of David Milgaard, Pushing Past Borders: Canada & International Drug Trafficking, A Lost Heritage: Canada's Residential Schools, An Inuit Education: Honouring a Past, Creating a Future, Who Cares For Our Kids? Leader of the Federal New Democratic Party, A Guide to the Role of Provincial Premiers in Canada, Biography of John Lewis, Civil Rights Activist and Politician. Tommy Douglas married Irma Dempsey in 1930. Production dates were also fudged. He won the Lightweight Championship of Manitoba in 1922 and 1923. On a visit to Germany in
Although he found work in Winnipeg, the next few years were difficult for his young son. [2] Shortly before he left Scotland, Douglas fell and injured his right knee. In 1962, Diefenbaker appointed Justice Emmett Hall—also of Saskatchewan, a noted jurist and Supreme Court Justice—to Chair a Royal Commission on the national health system—the Royal Commission on Health Services. [41] Coldwell did not trust Argue, and many in the CCF leadership thought that he was already having secret meetings with the Liberals with a view to a party merger. Winston Churchill was voted as the Greatest Briton of them all. [64] Several schools have been named after him, including Tommy Douglas Collegiate in Saskatoon, and a student housing co-op in Toronto, Campus Co-operative Residences, named one of their houses after him as well. Re-elected as MP for that riding in the 1963 and 1965 elections, Douglas lost the redistricted seat of Burnaby—Seymour in the 1968 federal election. In early 2004, CBC Television put out a call to all people in Canada to nominate their greatest Canadian. After his ordination as a minister in 1930, Tommy and Irma Douglas moved to Weyburn, Saskatchewan. The page you are looking at will not be updated. Among other things, he became a champion debater, wrote for the school newspaper and participated in student government winning election as Senior Stick, or president of the student body, in his final year. Douglas began a printer’s apprenticeship at age 14 and qualified as a … Elections: Liberal Landslides and Tory Tides, Showdown on the Prairies: A History of Saskatchewan Elections, Territorial Battles: Yukon Elections, 1978-2006, The 'Other Revolution': Louis Robichaud's New Brunswick, Equality First: The Royal Commission on the Status of Women, Pot and Politics: Canada and the Marijuana Debate, Sue Rodriguez and the Right-To-Die Debate, Trudeau's Omnibus Bill: Challenging Canadian Taboos, Voting in Canada: How a Privilege Became a Right. Some police services, from outside of Quebec, took advantage of it for their own purposes, which mostly had nothing even remotely related to the Quebec situation, as Lewis and Douglas suspected. CBC legend Norman Campbell and his wife Elaine chat with Vicki Gabereau. Remembering the wit and wisdom of one of Canada's most incisive minds. Thomas Clement Douglas was born in Falkirk, Scotland, one of three children of Annie (née Clement) and Thomas Douglas. [41] When the time came for the "New Party" to form, in 1961, Coldwell pressured Douglas to run for the leadership. A small man with a huge personality, Tommy Douglas was gregarious, witty, feisty and kind. [11] Douglas was extremely active in extracurricular activities. A small man with a huge personality, Tommy Douglas was gregarious, witty, feisty and kind. Wendy Mesley talks to conspiracy theorists about a deadly U.S. airline crash. In 1919, the Douglas family returned to Winnipeg, where Tommy got a job as a messenger. His
[39] To prevent their plans from being derailed, Lewis unsuccessfully attempted to persuade Argue not to force a vote at the convention on the question of the party's leadership, and there was a split between the parliamentary caucus and the party executive on the convention floor. After France fell in 1940, the party wholeheartedly supported the
During this episode, Canada's top 50 nominees were revealed. The editor of Chatelaine magazine describes how she juggles a high-profile career and a busy home life in 1969. Although Douglas never led the party to government, through much of his tenure the party held the balance of power in the House of Commons. Why don’t we elect a government made up of mice?” “Oh,” they said, “he’s a Bolshevik. Renowned anchorman Walter Cronkite talks with Assignment interviewer Bill McNeil in 1965. 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). After nine years at the anchor desk, Nash thanks his crew and says goodbye to viewers. This second vote was accompanied by a series of documentaries, where 10 Canadian celebrities acting as advocates each presented their case for The Greatest Canadian. The owner offered to pay Douglas's way through night school so that he could learn Portuguese and Spanish, languages that would enable him to become a cork buyer.