A Universal Prescription Drug Plan Would Reduce Total Spending on Medications in Canada by Billions and Cover Everyone, at an Affordable Price for Taxpayers

IF, elected Canadian politicians, those unworthy individuals now comprising our Government??? could or would just manage to fulfil a small part of their jobs by carrying through with “UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE” ;  a Universal Drug Plan –a necessary part of health care-Would Save Billions, University of British Columbia researchers say.

 Through Responsible Administration and Management, a Government??? plan could save the Canadian, citizen/consumer/taxpayer, Billions Of Dollars while keeping drug costs affordable, study suggests.

Canada is the only developed country with universal health insurance coverage that does not also offer universal prescription drug benefits. Presently, about one in ten (10% of) Canadians-many seniors- say they can’t afford to take their medications as prescribed-so, really, they have Universal Nothing-they can not afford GOOD HEALTH.

A universal prescription drug plan could reduce total spending on medications in Canada by billions and cover everyone at an affordable price for taxpayers, health policy researchers say.

Thomas Clement "Tommy" Douglas, PC CC SOM (20 October 1904 – 24 February 1986) was a Scottish-born Canadian social democratic politician and Baptist minister. He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1935 as a member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF). He left federal politics to become the Saskatchewan Co-operative Commonwealth Federation’s leader and then the seventh Premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961. His government was the first Democratic Socialist government in North America, and it Introduced The CONTINENT'S First “Single-Payer, Universal Health Care Program.”

After setting up Saskatchewan's Medicare Program, Douglas stepped down as premier and ran to lead the newly formed federal New Democratic Party (NDP), the successor party of the National Co-operative Commonwealth Federation. Douglas elected first federal leader of the New Democratic party in 1961.

Although Douglas never led the party to government, through much of his tenure, the party held the balance of power in the House of Commons. He was noted as being the main opposition to the imposition of the War Measures Act (Pierre Idiot Trudeau) during the 1970 October Crisis.

[Although, "reason before passion" was  supposedly his personal motto, from the late 1960s until the mid-1980s, following the example of the Kennedys in the United States of the Americas, Pierre Trudeau personality dominated the political scene to an extent never before seen in Canadian political life, arousing passionate and polarizing reactions throughout Canada. However, many of the laws he implemented were not too bright, very costly to the Canadian taxpayer, very poorly thought out, and had much more to do with his own ego, and pocket book, than any perceived benefit to Canada. Really, most, to this day have never, been successfully implemented.]

Tommy Douglas resigned as leader the next year, but remained as a Member of Parliament until 1979. He was awarded many honorary degrees, and a foundation was named for him and his political mentor Major James Coldwell during 1971. In 1981, he was invested into the Order of Canada; and became a member of Canada's Privy Council in 1984. Tommy Douglas died in 1986 after a battle with cancer.

In 2004, a CBC Television program named Tommy Douglas "The Greatest Canadian", based on a Canada-wide, viewer-supported survey. ©Al (Alex-Alexander) D Girvn. All rights reserved.