Our beloved universal health care system has been tested in an unprecedented manner. Tommy Douglas believed that “health services ought not to have a price tag on them, and that people should be able to get whatever health services they required irrespective of their individual capacity to pay.”
We can be thankful for his vision and his legacy. The universal health care system Tommy fought for is the backbone of our response to this new coronavirus. There are gaps and problems, but Canadians are able to get care, despite the economic crisis that has hit the country as health and safety measures have been put in place. Other countries have not been so lucky.
Canadians are appreciative of the actions and steps governments have taken in response to this unprecedented emergency, as they try to keep up with a disease they still need to learn a lot about.
Many supporters and friends of the Douglas-Coldwell Foundation have been wondering: what can a charitable organization like ours do to contribute in these difficult times?
Our founder Tommy Douglas believed our Foundation should be a gadfly to provoke discussion. And this is exactly what we intend to do. We will help foster thoughts and reflections about what was - and what is next. This is exactly what Tommy would have wanted.
This is why the Douglas-Coldwell Foundation is proud to partner with the Broadbent Institute for the 2020 Digital Convening Series:
Now is a time to work together.
The pandemic has highlighted the critical role of government and the necessity of a collective approach in response.
And we now have a space to engage a Canada-wide progressive audience in critical discussions, which will facilitate shared learning and identify areas where more research needs to be done.
Courage my friends; ‘tis not too late to build a better world.
