Preamble
The Medicare plan had been announced by then-Premier of Saskatchewan Tommy Douglas in 1959 at a speech he made during the Birch Hills by-election campaign. It was the main issue of the 1960 provincial election which was won by Douglas' Co-operative Commonwealth Federation government. A commission was struck by the government to make recommendations for the plan's implementation and was met with opposition by the Saskatchewan College of Physicians and Surgeons who testified that doctors would not co-operate with a compulsory, government-run plan. The Saskatchewan Medical Care Insurance Bill was introduced in the Saskatchewan legislature on October 13, 1961 and was passed and given royal assent in November. By then, Douglas had stepped down as premier in order to assume the leadership of the newly formed federal New Democratic Party and was replaced as provincial premier and CCF leader by Woodrow Lloyd who was to face enormous pressure to withdraw the plan. In an attempt to reach a compromise, Lloyd delayed the implementation of Medicare from April to July 1962.
Read more about this topic: Saskatchewan Doctors' Strike
Famous quotes containing the word preamble:
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