Kiefer Sutherland's Grandfather

There was a good segment on The World on NPR this afternoon. They talked with Roy Romanow, a former premier of Saskatchewan, about the fierce battle fought for universal healthcare in Saskatchewan in 1962. I guess history really doesn't teach us anything, because the rhetoric then and now hasn't changed much. I was ten years old at the time, and the thing I remember most is that our family doctor, Dr. Franz, closed his practice and moved to Alberta. When doctors across the province went on strike, the government brought in doctors from the UK to provide basic services. (That part I don't remember.) Somehow, we survived it all.

The premier of Saskatchewan at that time was T.C. (Tommy) Douglas. He had the balls and the vision to push through the first government run universal health care plan in North America. Oddly enough, the world did not come to an end, and four years later, Medicare (as it's known in Canada) was brought in across the entire country. A few years ago, the CBC commissioned a poll to find out who was the greatest Canadian. I don't know if it was of all time or the 20th century or exactly what, but the winner was T.C. Douglas.

Today, if you talk to any Canadians about health care, they might bitch and moan a little, but I've never talked to anyone who wants to end Medicare. It's a big part of the national identity, and most Canadians are very proud of it, especially when they engage in conversations bashing their ignorant neighbors to the south.

Here's an interesting side note - If any Americans have ever heard of T.C. Douglas, I'd be surprised. Probably the only ones who have are rabid fans of Kiefer Sutherland, aka Jack Bauer, of 24 fame. T.C. Douglas is his grandfather on his father's side! T.C. Douglas' daughter Shirley became actor Donald Sutherland's second wife. Kiefer was one of the progeny of that marriage.