William Brooks: A Canadian Doctor Examines the Corpse of Socialized Medicine

Tommy Douglas, known as the father of Medicare, receives a standing ovation while arriving at the Palace Theatre to address an NDP rally in Hamilton, Ont., on June 11, 1968. The Canadian Press

Commentary

For centuries health care was, for the most part, privately delivered by independent physicians. But during the West’s 20th-century collectivist moment, medical care became a common priority for reform by liberal and socialist governments.