I’m the author of the new book A Boy Named Tommy Douglas. I’m a senior citizen and have known about Tommy Douglas all my life, but it came as a great surprise to learn that there are no books for children to tell the little-known story that inspired his adult achievement of Medicare for Canada.
My publisher Midtown Press was delighted when the Douglas Coldwell Layton Foundation generously gave a grant to fund their promotion of A Boy Named Tommy Douglas. The book, published in June, 2022, is for 5 - 10-year-olds but it tells the story appropriate to anyone who does not know his iconic past.
Tommy was born in Scotland in 1904 and his family immigrated to Winnipeg. As I researched Tommy’s life, he was seven years old when he badly injured his right knee. Because his parents could not afford medical care, his knee injury turned into osteoporosis. The doctors threatened to cut his leg off, but Tommy was saved because a specialist surgeon visiting the public ward offered to operate at no cost to save the leg. The operation was a success. Tommy never forgot that other children were not so fortunate.
He became a preacher and then a politician whose fiery speeches helped get him elected in Saskatchewan. (He was always called Tommy, never Tom.) He built hospitals and started a medical school, gave free dental and medical care for pregnant women and seniors. Finally in 1960 when he was 57 years old, full medical care arrived for every person in Saskatchewan. Tommy became the leader of the federal NDP and worked for six more years until 1968 when Medicare was available to every child and adult in Canada.
Tommy is known as the Father of Medicare and voted in a CBC poll to be named The Greatest Canadian, voted first over such icons as Terry Fox and Wayne Gretzky.
Tommy said, “I look back and think that a boy from a poor home on the wrong side of the tracks was given the privilege of being part of a movement that changed Canada.”
We are different from the people south of the border. Medicare is under threat. Canada has more people and an aging population and we need to protect it from struggling to catch up. A reminder that Tommy inspired us to say, “Courage my friends: it is not too late to build a better world.”
This book has an important message to share with our members, their children and grandchildren in our lives. It is available in English and French in your local bookstores.
Blog Post
Ottawa
Today is International Women’s Day; a day which I am truly thankful for all the women who have worked tirelessly, past and present, towards a more equitable world where all voices are heard. I take this day to reflect on the women that came before me and the work that we have to continue to do in their honour.
Blog Post
Ottawa
As promised we’ve got lots of news to share with you this month. The Douglas Coldwell Layton Foundation had a banner year in 2023. We produced more special events, original content, research projects, and educational materials than ever before!
This year we’re building from that success. You’ll see us in more places with more exciting programs for you to participate in throughout the year. All of this growth is thanks to our supporters like you.
We hope you enjoy our update this month.
Blog Post
Ottawa
We hope you have had a good start to the year. We’ve got lots of important information and event announcements to share with you this month.
Thank you to those who supported us last year with a donation and helped us advance social democracy! You allow us to continue the important work we do, being the only charity in Canada to promote social democracy and carry on our founders' legacies. With your support we were able to create new research, establish an annual lecture series, new scholarships, new training for activists, and an interview series with social democrat leaders. And, this year we have even more content to deliver and special event plans to share with you.
Your charitable tax receipts are on the way!
