View source for Tommy Douglas

{{Short description|Premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961}}
{{for2|the American jazz clarinetist|Tommy Douglas (clarinetist)|other people with similar names|Thomas Douglas (disambiguation){{!}}Thomas Douglas}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=October 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix    = [[The Reverend]] and [[Honourable]]
| name                = Tommy Douglas
| honorific_suffix    = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|size=100%|PC|CC|SOM}}
| image               = Premier Tommy Douglas (F1257 s1057 it2743).jpg
| caption             = Douglas, {{circa|1950s}}
| party               = [[Co-operative Commonwealth Federation|CCF]] (1935–1961)<br />[[New Democratic Party|NDP]] (1961–1986)
| birth_name          = Thomas Clement Douglas
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|df=yes|1904|10|20}}
| birth_place         = [[Camelon]], Falkirk, Scotland
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1986|02|24|1904|10|20}}
| death_place         = [[Ottawa]], Ontario, Canada
| spouse              = {{marriage|Irma Dempsey|1930}}
| children            = 2, including [[Shirley Douglas]]
| alma_mater          = {{unbulleted list|[[Brandon University]]|[[McMaster University]]|[[University of Chicago]]}}
| profession          = [[Baptists|Baptist]] [[Minister (Christianity)|minister]]
| restingplace        = [[Beechwood Cemetery]], Ottawa
| relatives           = {{plainlist|
* [[Kiefer Sutherland]] (grandson)
* [[Sarah Sutherland]] (great-granddaughter)}}
| signature           = Tommy Douglas Signature.svg
| office              = [[Leader of the New Democratic Party]]
| term_start          = 3 August 1961
| term_end            = 24 April 1971
| predecessor         = [[Hazen Argue]]<br />(as leader of the [[Co-operative Commonwealth Federation|CCF]])
| successor           = [[David Lewis (Canadian politician)|David Lewis]]
| office1             = 7th [[Premier of Saskatchewan]]
| lieutenant_governor1 = {{ubl|[[Archibald Peter McNab]]|[[Thomas Miller (Saskatchewan)|Thomas Miller]]|[[Reginald John Marsden Parker|Reginald J. M. Parker]]|[[John Michael Uhrich|John M. Uhrich]]|William John Patterson|[[Frank Lindsay Bastedo]]}}
| monarch1            = {{ubl|[[George VI]]|[[Elizabeth II]]}}
| term_start1         = 10 July 1944
| term_end1           = 7 November 1961
| predecessor1        = [[William John Patterson]]
| successor1          = [[Woodrow Lloyd]]
| office2             = Leader of the [[Saskatchewan New Democratic Party|Saskatchewan CCF]]
| term_start2         = 17 July 1942
| term_end2           = 3 November 1961
| predecessor2        = [[John Hewgill Brockelbank|John Brockelbank]]
| successor2          = Woodrow Lloyd
| office4             = [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|Member of Parliament]] <br />for [[Nanaimo—Cowichan—The Islands]]
| term_start4         = 10 February 1969
| term_end4           = 22 May 1979
| predecessor4       = [[Colin Cameron (Canadian politician)|Colin Cameron]]
| successor4          = ''Riding dissolved''
| office5             = [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|Member of Parliament]] <br />for [[Burnaby—Coquitlam]]
| term_start5         = 22 October 1962
| term_end5           = 25 June 1968
| predecessor5        = [[Erhart Regier]]
| successor5          = ''Riding dissolved''
| office6             = Member of the [[Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan]] <br />for [[Weyburn (provincial electoral district)|Weyburn]]
| term_start6         = 15 March 1944
| term_end6           = 7 November 1961
| predecessor6        = [[George Levi Crane|George Crane]]
| successor6          = Junior Staveley
| office7             = [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|Member of Parliament]] <br />for [[Weyburn (federal electoral district)|Weyburn]]
| term_start7         = 14 October 1935
| term_end7           = 15 June 1944
| predecessor7        = [[Edward James Young]]
| successor7          = [[Eric Bowness McKay]]
}}
{{Christian socialism sidebar|expanded=people}}
{{Social democracy sidebar|expanded=people}}

'''Thomas Clement Douglas''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|CC|SOM}} (20 October 1904&nbsp;– 24 February 1986) was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as the seventh [[premier of Saskatchewan]] from 1944 to 1961 and [[leader of the New Democratic Party]] from 1961 to 1971. A [[Baptist]] minister, he was elected to the [[House of Commons of Canada]] in 1935 as a member of the [[Co-operative Commonwealth Federation]] (CCF). He left [[List of federal political parties in Canada|federal politics]] to become leader of the [[Saskatchewan New Democratic Party|Saskatchewan Co-operative Commonwealth Federation]] and then the seventh Premier of Saskatchewan. His government introduced the continent's first [[Single-payer health care|single-payer]], [[Health care in Canada|universal health care program]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=EBSCO Locate |url=https://search.catalog.loc.gov/instances/372274ec-b2e0-5bc3-85f1-8026773994ff? |access-date=2025-06-30 |website=[[Library of Congress]]}}</ref><!--what about North Dakota?--><!-- Citation not needed in the lede paragraphs, as this is a summary of information that is already fully cited in the body of the article. <ref name="T.C. Douglas: Politician">{{cite news|title=T. C. Douglas: Politician|url=http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/politics/parties-leaders/tommy-douglas-and-the-ndp/tc-douglas-politician.html|access-date=21 February 2015|work=CBC Archives|agency=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|date=22 April 2013}}</ref> -->

After setting up Saskatchewan's universal healthcare program, Douglas stepped down and ran to lead the newly formed federal New Democratic Party (NDP), the successor party of the national CCF. He was elected as its first federal leader in 1961.<!--Citation not needed, fully cited in the body of the article. <ref>{{cite news|title=And the greatest Canadian is...|url=http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/arts-entertainment/media/media-general/and-the-greatest-canadian-of-all-time-is.html|access-date=21 February 2015|work=CBC News Toronto|agency=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|date=29 November 2004}}</ref> --> 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]]'' during the 1970 [[October Crisis]]. He resigned as leader the next year but remained as a Member of Parliament until 1979.

Douglas was awarded many honorary degrees, and a foundation was named for him and his political mentor [[M.&nbsp;J. Coldwell]] in 1971. In 1981, he was invested into the [[Order of Canada]], and he became a member of Canada's [[privy council]] in 1984, two years before his death. In 2004, a [[CBC Television]] program named Tommy Douglas "[[The Greatest Canadian]]", based on a Canada-wide, viewer-supported survey.

==Early life==
Thomas Clement Douglas was born in 1904 in [[Falkirk]], the son of Annie (née Clement) and Thomas Douglas, an [[Moldmaker|iron moulder]] who fought in the [[Boer War]].<ref name="Bookrags Bio">{{cite web|title=Encyclopedia of World Biography on Thomas Clement Douglas|url=http://www.bookrags.com/biography/thomas-clement-douglas/|work=Bookrags|publisher=Bookrags Inc.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121095310/http://www.bookrags.com/biography/thomas-clement-douglas/|archive-date=21 January 2012|location=Spokane, Washington|year=2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1910 at age 7,<ref name="Tommy Douglas">{{cite web | url=https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/Tommy-Douglas/ | title=Tommy Douglas }}</ref> his family immigrated to Canada, where they settled in [[Winnipeg]].{{sfn|Stewart|2003|p=23}} Shortly before he left the United Kingdom, Douglas fell and injured his right knee. [[Osteomyelitis]] set in and he underwent a number of operations in Scotland in an attempt to cure the condition. Later in Winnipeg, the osteomyelitis flared up again, and Douglas was sent to hospital. Doctors there told his parents his leg would have to be amputated; however, a well-known [[Orthopedic surgery|orthopedic surgeon]] took interest and agreed to treat him for free if his parents allowed medical students to observe. After several operations, Douglas's leg was saved. This experience convinced him that health care should be free to all. Many years later, Douglas told an interviewer, "I felt that no boy should have to depend either for his leg or his life upon the ability of his parents to raise enough money to bring a first-class surgeon to his bedside."{{sfn|Thomas|1982|pp=6–7}}

During [[World War I]] (aged 12 to 15),<ref name="Tommy Douglas"/> the family went back to [[Glasgow]].{{sfn|McLeod|McLeod|2004|pp=17–18}} They returned to Winnipeg in late 1918, in time for Douglas to witness the [[Winnipeg general strike]].{{sfn|McLeod|McLeod|2004|pp=18–19}} From a rooftop vantage point on [[Winnipeg Route 52|Main Street]], he witnessed the police charging the strikers with clubs and guns, and a streetcar being overturned and set on fire. He also witnessed the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] (RCMP) shoot and kill one of the workers. This incident influenced Douglas later in life by cementing his commitment to protect fundamental freedoms in a Bill of Rights when he was premier of Saskatchewan.<ref name="Bill of Rights">{{cite encyclopedia|last=Norman|first=Ken|title=Saskatchewan Bill of Rights|encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan|year=2005|publisher=Canadian Plains Research Center|location=Regina, Saskatchewan|url=http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/saskatchewan_bill_of_rights.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212013034/http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/saskatchewan_bill_of_rights.html|archive-date=12 February 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1920, at the age of 15, Douglas began amateur [[boxing]] at the [[One Big Union (Canada)|One Big Union]] gym in Winnipeg.{{sfn|Stewart|2003|p=50}} Weighing {{convert|135|lb}}, he won the 1922 Lightweight Championship of Manitoba after a six-round fight.{{sfn|Stewart|2003|p=50}} Douglas sustained a broken nose, a loss of some teeth, and a strained hand and thumb.{{sfn|Stewart|2003|p=50}} He held the title the following year.{{sfn|Stewart|2003|p=50}}

In 1930, Douglas married Irma Dempsey, a music student at [[Brandon University|Brandon College]]. They had one daughter, actress [[Shirley Douglas]], and they later adopted a second daughter, Joan, who became a nurse. His daughter, Shirley, married actor [[Donald Sutherland]]; through Shirley, [[Kiefer Sutherland]] is Tommy Douglas’ grandson.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/inductee/shirley-douglas |title=Shirley Douglas 2004 Inductee |work=Canada's Walk of Fame |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081214190427/http://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/inductee/shirley-douglas |archive-date=14 December 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Education==
Douglas started [[elementary school]] in Winnipeg. He completed his elementary education after returning to Glasgow. He worked as a soap boy in a barber shop, rubbing lather into tough whiskers, then dropped out of high school at 13 after landing a job in a [[Cork (material)|cork]] factory. The owner offered to pay Douglas's way through night school so that he could learn [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] and [[Spanish language|Spanish]], languages that would enable him to become a cork buyer. However, the family returned to Winnipeg when the war ended and Douglas entered the printing trades. He served a five-year [[apprenticeship]] and worked as a [[Linotype machine|Linotype]] operator finally acquiring his [[journeyman]]'s papers, but decided to return to school to pursue his ambition to become an [[ordination|ordained]] minister.{{sfn|Shackleton|1975|pp=18–30}}

===Brandon University===
In 1924, the 19-year-old Douglas enrolled at Brandon College, a [[Baptists|Baptist]] school affiliated with [[McMaster University]], to finish high school and study theology. During his six years at the college, he was influenced by the [[Social Gospel]] movement, which combined Christian principles with social reform. [[Liberal Christianity|Liberal]]-minded professors at Brandon encouraged students to question their [[fundamentalism|fundamentalist]] religious beliefs. Christianity, they suggested, was just as concerned with the pursuit of [[social justice]] as it was with the struggle for individual salvation. Douglas took a course in [[socialism]] at Brandon and studied [[Ancient Greek philosophy|Greek philosophy]].{{sfn | Shackleton | 1975 | pp=30–32}} He came first in his class during his first three years, then competed for gold medals in his last three with a newly arrived student named [[Stanley Knowles]]. Both later became ministers of religion and prominent [[left-wing politics|left-wing]] politicians.{{sfn | Margoshes | 1999 | p=34}} Douglas was extremely active in extracurricular activities. Among other things, he became a champion debater, wrote for the school newspaper and participated in student government winning election as Senior Stick, or president of the student body, in his final year.{{sfn | Margoshes | 1999 | p=36}}

Douglas financed his education at Brandon College by conducting Sunday services at several rural churches for 15 dollars a week. A shortage of ordained clergy forced smaller congregations to rely on student ministers. Douglas reported later that he preached sermons advocating social reform and helping the poor: "[T]he Bible is like a [[Double bass|bull fiddle]]&nbsp;... you can play almost any tune you want on it." He added that his interest in social and economic questions led him to preach about "building a society and building institutions that would uplift mankind".{{sfn | Shackleton | 1975 | pp=30–32}} He also earned money delivering entertaining monologues and poetry recitations at church suppers and service club meetings for five dollars a performance.{{sfn | Stewart | 2003 | p=54}} During his second and third years at the college, he preached at a [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]] church in [[Carberry, Manitoba]]. There he met a farmer's daughter named Irma Dempsey who would later become his wife.{{sfn | Margoshes | 1999 | pp=32–33}}

===MA thesis on eugenics===
Douglas graduated from Brandon College in 1930 and completed his Master of Arts degree in sociology at McMaster University in 1933. His thesis, "The Problems of the Subnormal Family", endorsed [[eugenics]].{{sfn|McLaren|1990|pp=8–9}} The thesis proposed a system that would have required couples seeking to marry to be certified as mentally and morally fit. Those deemed to be "subnormal", because of low intelligence, moral laxity, or [[venereal disease]] would be sent to state farms or camps, while those judged to be [[Developmental disability|mentally defective]] or incurably diseased would be [[Human sterilization (surgical procedure)|sterilized]].{{sfn|Stewart|2003|p=80}}

Douglas rarely mentioned his thesis later in his life, and his government never enacted eugenics policies, though two official reviews of Saskatchewan's [[mental health]] system recommended such a program when he became premier and minister of health. As premier, Douglas opposed the adoption of eugenics laws.{{sfn|Stewart|2003|p=80}} By the time Douglas took office in 1944, many people questioned eugenics due to [[Nazi Germany]]'s embrace of it in its effort to create a "[[master race]]".{{sfn|Margoshes|1999|p=78}} Instead, Douglas implemented vocational training for the mentally handicapped and therapy for those suffering from [[mental disorder]]s.{{sfn|Stewart|2003|p=81}}{{efn|Two Canadian provinces, [[Alberta]] and [[British Columbia]], had eugenics legislation that imposed forced sterilization. Alberta's law was first passed in 1928, with government-mandated sterilizations (without consent of parent or guardian) being allowed starting in 1937, while BC enacted its legislation in 1933.{{sfn|McLaren|1990|pp=100, 105}} It was not until 1972 that both provinces repealed the legislation. (See [[Compulsory sterilization in Canada]]){{sfn|McLaren|1990|p=169}}{{sfn|Black|2003|p=242}}}}

===PhD research in Chicago===
In the summer of 1931, Douglas continued his studies in [[sociology]] at the [[University of Chicago]]. He never completed his PhD thesis but was deeply disturbed by his field work in the [[Great Depression|Depression-era]] "jungles" or [[hobo]] camps where about 75,000 transients sheltered in lean-tos venturing out by day to beg or to steal. Douglas interviewed men who once belonged to the American middle class—despondent bank clerks, lawyers and doctors. Douglas said later, "There were little soup kitchens run by [[The Salvation Army]] and the churches&nbsp;... In the first half-hour they'd be cleaned out. After that there was nothing&nbsp;... It was impossible to describe the hopelessness."{{sfnm |1a1=Shackleton |1y=1975 |1p=50 |2a1=Stewart |2y=2003 |2p=75}} Douglas was equally disturbed that members of the [[Socialist Party of America|Socialist Party]] sat around quoting [[Karl Marx|Marx]] and [[Vladimir Lenin|Lenin]], waiting for a [[Communist revolution|revolution]] while refusing to help the destitute. Douglas said: "That experience soured me with absolutists&nbsp;... I've no patience with people who want to sit back and talk about a blueprint for society and do nothing about it."{{sfn|Shackleton|1975|p=51}}

==From pulpit to politics==
Two months after Douglas graduated from Brandon College, he married Irma Dempsey, and the two moved to the town of [[Weyburn, Saskatchewan]], where he became an ordained minister at the Calvary Baptist Church.{{sfn | Stewart | 2003 | pp=67–68}} Irma was 19, while Douglas was 25.{{sfn | Shackleton | 1975 | p=46}} With the onset of the [[Great Depression|Depression]], Douglas became a social activist and joined the new [[Co-operative Commonwealth Federation]] (CCF) political party. He was elected to the [[House of Commons of Canada]] in the [[1935 Canadian federal election|1935 federal election]].<ref name="Tommy's Fed CV">
{{cite web|title= Parliamentarian file: DOUGLAS, Thomas Clement (Tommy), C.C., B.A., M.A., LL.D.(Hon.)|url= http://www.parl.gc.ca/parlinfo/Files/Parliamentarian.aspx?Item=d34eb71d-3bc8-4258-8a3f-2007fa662c38&Language=E&Section=ALL|work= Parliament of Canada|publisher= Queen's Printer for Canada|access-date= 7 December 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120121081818/http://www.parl.gc.ca/parlinfo/Files/Parliamentarian.aspx?Item=d34eb71d-3bc8-4258-8a3f-2007fa662c38&Language=E&Section=ALL|archive-date = 21 January 2012|location= Ottawa|year= 2011|url-status= dead}}</ref>

During the September 1939 special House of Commons debate on entering the war, Douglas, who had visited Nazi Germany in 1936 and was disgusted by what he saw, supported going to war against Hitler.{{sfn | Stewart | 2003 | p=141}} He was not a pacifist, unlike his party's leader, [[J. S. Woodsworth]], and stated his reasons:
{{blockquote |If you accept the completely absolutist position of the pacifist, then you are saying that you are prepared to allow someone else who has no such scruples to destroy all the values you've built up. This is what I used to argue with Mr. Woodsworth&nbsp;... if you came to a choice between losing freedom of speech, religion, association, thought, and all the things that make life worth living, and resorting to force, you'd used force. What you have internationally is what you have within a nation. You must have law and order, and you must have the necessary military means to enforce that law and order.{{sfn | Stewart | 2003 | p=140}}}}
Douglas and Coldwell's position was eventually adopted by the CCF National Council, but they also did not admonish Woodsworth's pacifist stand, and allowed him to put it forward in the House.{{sfn | Stewart | 2003 | p=140}} Douglas assisted Woodsworth, during his leader's speech, by holding up the pages and turning them for him, even though he disagreed with him.{{sfn | Stewart | 2000 | p=142}} Woodsworth had suffered a stroke earlier in the year and he needed someone to hold his notes, and Douglas still held him in very high regard, and dutifully assisted his leader.{{sfn | Stewart | 2000 | p=142}}

After the outbreak of World War II, Douglas ran for re-election and [[1940 Canadian election|was re-elected]] as the MP for the Weyburn riding. He ran as a candidate in close association with Agnes McPhail and Dorise Nielsen.<ref>"Public meeting in the Sons of England Hall, Monday, Aug. 12, 8 p.m...." https://archive.org/details/P010209 accessed 2025-10-20</ref>

Douglas enlisted in the wartime [[Canadian Army]].{{sfn | McLeod | McLeod | 2004 | p=111}} He volunteered for overseas service but then a medical examination turned up his old leg problems.{{sfn | McLeod | McLeod | 2004 | p=111}} Douglas stayed behind in Canada, and the Grenadiers moved out to take up garrison duty in Hong Kong. If not for that ailment, he would likely have been with the regiment when its members were killed or captured at [[Battle of Hong Kong|Hong Kong]] in December 1941.{{sfn | McLeod | McLeod | 2004 | p=111}}

==Premier of Saskatchewan==
[[File:Leader Post Cover.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[Regina Leader-Post|The Leader-Post]]'' announces the CCF victory, 1944]]
Despite being a federal Member of Parliament and not yet an [[Member of the Legislative Assembly|MLA]], Douglas was elected the leader of the [[Saskatchewan New Democratic Party|Saskatchewan CCF]] in 1942 after successfully challenging the incumbent leader, [[George Hara Williams]], but did not resign from the House of Commons until 1 June 1944.<ref>Quiring, Brett, "[http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/douglas_thomas_clement_1904-86.html Douglas, Thomas Clement (1904–86)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525070247/http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/douglas_thomas_clement_1904-86.html |date=25 May 2013 }}", ''Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan''. Retrieved 12 February 2008.</ref> He led the CCF to power in 15 June{{sfn | Margoshes | 1999 | p=188}} [[1944 Saskatchewan general election|1944 provincial election]], winning 47 of 52 seats in the [[Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan]], and thus forming the first social democratic government in not only Canada but all of North America. 

Most of his government's pioneering innovations came about during its first term, including:
*the creation of the publicly owned [[Saskatchewan Power Corporation]], successor to the Saskatchewan Electrical Power Commission, which began a long program of extending electrical service to isolated farms and villages;
*the creation of Canada's first publicly owned automotive insurance service, the [[Saskatchewan Government Insurance|Saskatchewan Government Insurance Office]];
*the creation of a large number of [[crown corporations]], many of which competed with existing private sector interests;
*legislation that allowed the unionization of the public service;
*a program to offer taxpayer-funded hospital care to all citizens—the first in North America.
*passage of the ''[[Saskatchewan Bill of Rights]]'', legislation that broke new ground as it protected both fundamental freedoms and equality rights against abuse not only by government actors but also on the part of powerful private institutions and persons. (''The Saskatchewan Bill of Rights'' preceded the adoption of the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]] by the United Nations by 18 months.){{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

Douglas and the Saskatchewan CCF went on to win five straight majority victories in all subsequent Saskatchewan provincial elections up to 1960. As premier, Douglas attended the [[coronation of Elizabeth II]] in June 1953.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://archives.cbc.ca/society/monarchy/clips/4369/| title=Coronation of Queen Elizabeth| newspaper=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation| date=2 June 1953| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120145942/http://archives.cbc.ca/society/monarchy/clips/4369/| archive-date=20 January 2012| access-date=30 June 2009| url-status=dead}}</ref>

Douglas was the first head of any government in Canada to call for a constitutional bill of rights. Douglas did this at a federal-provincial conference in Quebec City in January 1950. No one in attendance at the conference supported him in this. Ten years later, Premier [[Jean Lesage]] of Quebec joined with Douglas at a First Ministers' Conference in July 1960 in advocating for a constitutional bill of rights. Thus, respectable momentum was given to the idea that finally came to fruition, on 17 April 1982, with the proclamation of the ''[[Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]]''.<ref>Strayer, Barry L. "Patriation of the Constitution and the Charter: 25 years after", The Timlin Lecture, 20 February 2007, University of Saskatchewan, p. 14.</ref>

Thanks to a booming postwar economy and the prudent financial management of provincial treasurer [[Clarence Fines]], the Douglas government slowly paid off the huge [[government debt|public debt]] left by the previous [[Saskatchewan Liberal Party|Liberal]] government, and created a budget [[Economic surplus|surplus]] for the Saskatchewan government. Coupled with a federal government promise in 1959 to give even more tax money for medical care, this paved the way for Douglas's most notable achievement, the introduction of [[universal health care]] legislation in 1961.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

===Medicare===
Douglas's number one concern was the creation of [[Medicare (Canada)|Medicare]]. He introduced medical insurance reform in his first term, and gradually moved the province towards universal medicare near the end of his last term. In the summer of 1962, Saskatchewan became the centre of a hard-fought struggle between the provincial government, the North American medical establishment, and the province's physicians, who brought things to a halt with the 1962 [[Saskatchewan doctors' strike]]. The doctors complained their best interests were not being met and feared a significant loss of income as well as government interference in medical care decisions even though Douglas had agreed that his government would pay the going rate for service that doctors charged. The medical establishment claimed that Douglas would import foreign doctors to make his plan work and used racist images to try to scare the public.<ref>
{{Cite news| title= Sask. Doctors 'Blackmailers' Lewis Tells Pharmacists| newspaper= Toronto Daily Star| page= 57| date= 4 May 1962}}</ref>

Douglas is widely known as the father of Medicare, but the Saskatchewan universal program was finally launched by his successor, [[Woodrow Lloyd]], in 1962. Douglas stepped down as premier and as a member of the legislature the previous year, to lead the newly formed federal successor to the CCF, the [[New Democratic Party of Canada]] (NDP).<ref name=Vansun19610803>
{{cite news| last= Neville| first= William| title= Douglas Leads New Party, 'Democratic' Tag in Name| url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qphlAAAAIBAJ&dq=new%20democratic%20party&pg=4770%2C472587| access-date = 22 August 2011| newspaper=Vancouver Sun| date= 3 August 1961| agency= UPI| page= 1}}</ref>

The success of the province's public health care program was not lost on the federal government. Another Saskatchewan politician, newly elected Prime Minister [[John Diefenbaker]], decreed in 1958 that any province seeking to introduce a hospital plan would receive 50 cents on the [[Canadian dollar|dollar]] from the federal government. In 1962, Diefenbaker appointed [[Emmett Matthew Hall|Justice Emmett Hall]]—also of Saskatchewan, a noted jurist and [[Supreme Court of Canada|Supreme Court Justice]]—to Chair a [[Royal Commission]] on the national health system—the Royal Commission on Health Services. In 1964, Justice Hall recommended a nationwide adoption of Saskatchewan's model of public health insurance. In 1966, the Liberal minority government of [[Lester B. Pearson]] created such a program, with the federal government paying 50% of the province's costs. The adoption of public health care across Canada ended up being the work of three men with diverse political ideals – Douglas of the CCF, Diefenbaker of the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservatives]], and Pearson of the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberals]].{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

==Federal NDP leader==
===Election===
[[File:TommyDouglas-c1971-crop.jpg|thumb|upright|Douglas, {{circa|1971}}]]
The [[1958 Canadian federal election|1958 Canadian general election]] was a disaster for the CCF;<ref name="Diefenbaker's landslide">{{cite news|last=Peacock|first=Don|title=Avalanche of Votes Sweeps PCs into Most One-sided Victory Since Confederation|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZFBjAAAAIBAJ&pg=6279%2C11157|access-date=7 December 2011|newspaper=Star-Phoenix|date=1 April 1958|location=Saskatoon, Saskatchewan|page=1}}</ref> its caucus was reduced to eight, and party leader [[Major James Coldwell|M. J. Coldwell]] lost his own seat. The CCF executive knew that their party was dying and needed radical change.<ref name="Coldwell Obit">{{cite news|last=Fisher|first=Doug|title=M.J. Coldwell: Tribute to a true politician|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BokxAAAAIBAJ&dq=coldwell%20loses%20seat%201958&pg=1291%2C3300079|access-date=7 December 2011|newspaper=Montreal Gazette|date=28 August 1974|author-link=Doug Fisher (politician)|agency=Toronto Sun|page=9}}</ref> The executive persuaded Coldwell to remain as leader,{{sfn|Stewart|2003|p=211}} but the party also needed a leader in the House of Commons to replace him, because he obviously was no longer a Member of Parliament. The CCF [[Caucus#In Commonwealth nations|parliamentary caucus]] chose [[Hazen Argue]] as its new leader in the House.{{sfn|Stewart|2003|p=211}} During the lead-up to the 1960 CCF convention, Argue was pressing Coldwell to step down; this leadership challenge jeopardized plans for an orderly transition to the new party that was being planned by the CCF and the [[Canadian Labour Congress]]. CCF national president [[David Lewis (Canadian politician)|David Lewis]] – who succeeded Coldwell as president in 1958, when the national chairman and national president positions were merged – and the rest of the new party's organizers opposed Argue's manoeuvres and wanted Douglas to be the new party's first leader.{{sfn|McLeod|McLeod|2004|pp=271, 275}} To prevent their plans from being derailed, Lewis unsuccessfully attempted to persuade Argue not to force a vote at the convention on the question of the party's leadership, and there was a split between the parliamentary caucus and the party executive on the convention floor.{{sfn|Stewart|2003|pp=211–212}} Coldwell stepped down as leader, and Argue replaced him, becoming the party's final national leader.{{sfn|Stewart|2003|pp=211–212}}

As far back as 1941, Coldwell wanted Douglas to succeed him in leading the National CCF (at that time, it was obvious that Coldwell would be assuming the national leadership in the near future).{{sfn|Shackleton|1975|pp=253–256}} When the time came for the "[[New Party (Canada)|New Party]]" to form, in 1961, Coldwell pressured Douglas to run for the leadership.{{sfn|Shackleton|1975|pp=253–256}} Coldwell did not trust Argue, and many in the CCF leadership thought that he was already having secret meetings with the Liberals with a view to a party merger.{{sfn|Shackleton|1975|pp=253–256}} Also, Coldwell and Douglas thought Lewis would not be a viable alternative to Argue because Lewis was not likely to defeat Argue; this was partly due to Lewis' lack of a parliamentary seat but also, and likely more importantly, because his role as party disciplinarian over the years had made him many enemies, enough to potentially prevent him from winning the leadership.{{sfn|Shackleton|1975|pp=253–256}} Douglas, after much consultation with Coldwell, Lewis, and his caucus, decided in June 1961 to reluctantly contest the leadership of the New Party.{{sfn|Shackleton|1975|pp=253–256}} He handily defeated Argue on 3 August 1961 at the first [[1961 New Democratic Party leadership election|NDP leadership convention]] in Ottawa, and became the new party's first leader.<ref name="NDP Elect T.C.D.">
{{Cite news
| last = Sears
| first = Val
| author-link=Val Sears
| title = New Democratic Party Hails Douglas as Leader
| newspaper = Toronto Daily Star
| pages = 1, 4
| date = 4 August 1961 }}</ref> Six months later, Argue crossed the floor and became a Liberal.<ref name="Argue Spec">{{cite news|last=Loran|first=Tom|title=Speculation Rife Argue To Desert New Party Ranks|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wndjAAAAIBAJ&dq=argue%20crosses%20floor&pg=6678%2C2673131|access-date=17 December 2011|newspaper=The Star-Phoenix|page=3|date=22 January 1962|location=Saskatoon, Saskatchewan}}</ref><ref name="Hazen crosses floor">{{cite news|last=King|first=Charles|title='I Will Be Loyal' Argue Promises Liberals|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jvsxAAAAIBAJ&dq=hazen%20argue%20liberal&pg=2670%2C2306443|access-date=17 December 2011|newspaper=The Ottawa Citizen<!--The definite article was used back then-->|date=24 February 1962|issue=813|page=1}}</ref>

===House of Commons, Act II===
Douglas resigned from provincial politics and sought election to the House of Commons in the [[electoral district (Canada)|riding]] of [[Regina City]] in 1962, but was defeated by [[Ken More]]. He was later elected in a [[by-election]] in the riding of [[Burnaby—Coquitlam]], [[British Columbia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Profile |url=https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/Profile?personId=2135 |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=lop.parl.ca}}</ref>

Re-elected as MP for that riding in the [[1963 Canadian federal election|1963]] and [[1965 Canadian federal election|1965 elections]], Douglas lost the redistricted seat of [[Burnaby—Seymour]] in the [[1968 Canadian federal election|1968 federal election]]. He won a seat again in a 1969 by-election in the riding of [[Nanaimo—Cowichan—The Islands]], following the death of [[Colin Cameron (Canadian politician)|Colin Cameron]] in 1968, and represented it until his retirement from electoral politics in 1979.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

While the NDP did better in elections than its CCF predecessor, the party did not experience the breakthrough it had hoped for. Despite this, Douglas was greatly respected by party members and Canadians at large as the party wielded considerable influence during Lester Pearson's minority governments in the mid-1960s.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

=== Views on homosexuality ===
During the 1968 Federal Election, Douglas described [[homosexuality]] as a treatable illness by saying it was "a mental illness... [and] a psychiatric condition", as the [[American Psychiatric Association]]. Rather than treating it as a criminal offence with imprisonment, Douglas believed it could be treated by psychiatrists and social workers. This view of homosexuality was mainstream at the time.<ref name = "Views on Homosexuality">
{{Cite news
 | last1        = Ibbitson
 | first1       = John
 | title        = Canada's swift shift from criminality to acceptance of homosexuality
 | work         = [[The Globe and Mail]]
 | publisher    = [[The Woodbridge Company]]
 | location     = Toronto
 | issn         = 0319-0714
 | date         = 1 March 2016
 | url          = https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canadas-swift-shift-from-criminality-to-acceptance-of-homosexuality/article28990634/
 | access-date  = 2 May 2025
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303100744/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canadas-swift-shift-from-criminality-to-acceptance-of-homosexuality/article28990634/
 | archive-date = 3 March 2016
 | url-status   = live
 | url-access   = subscription
}}</ref> Nevertheless, Douglas would vote in favour of [[Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1968–69|Bill C-150]] in 1969, which decriminalized homosexuality.<ref name = "Bill C-150">
{{Cite news
 | author       = Star Ottawa Bureau
 | title        = Criminal Code changes OK'd
 | work         = [[Toronto Daily Star]]
 | publisher    = [[Torstar]]
 | issn         = 0319-0781

 | date         = 15 May 1969
 | pages        = 1, 4
 | url          = https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-criminal-code-changes-o/171572015/

 | access-date  = 2 May 2025
 | via          = [[Newspapers.com]]
}}</ref>

===The ''War Measures Act'', 1970===
The [[October Crisis]] put Douglas and David Lewis—now a Member of Parliament—on the "hotseat", with Lewis being the only NDP MP with any roots in Quebec.{{sfn|Smith|1989|p=476}} He and Lewis were opposed to 16 October implementation of the ''[[War Measures Act]]''.<ref name="War Measures">
{{Cite news| last= Janigan| first= Mary| title= Some MPs say they regret voting for War Measures| newspaper= Toronto Star| page= 3| date= 1 November 1975}}</ref> The act, enacted previously only for wartime purposes, imposed extreme limitations on civil liberties, and gave the police and military vastly expanded powers for arresting and detaining suspects, usually with little to no evidence required.<ref name="War Measures"/> Although it was only meant to be used in Quebec, since it was federal legislation, it was in force throughout Canada. Some police services, from outside of Quebec, took advantage of it for their own purposes,{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} which mostly had nothing even remotely related to the Quebec situation, as Lewis and Douglas suspected. During a second vote on 19 October, sixteen of the twenty members of the NDP parliamentary caucus voted against the implementation of the ''War Measures Act'' in the House of Commons and four voted with the Liberal government.{{sfn|McLeod|McLeod|2004|p=336}}

They took much grief for being the only parliamentarians to vote against it,<ref name="War Measures"/> dropping to an approval rating of seven per cent in public opinion polls.<ref name="Greatest Canadian">{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/greatest/top_ten/nominee/douglas-tommy-know.html |title=Top Ten Greatest Canadians – Tommy Douglas |access-date=13 April 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080425041156/http://www.cbc.ca/greatest/top_ten/nominee/douglas-tommy-know.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 25 April 2008}}</ref> Lewis, speaking for the party at a press scrum that day: "The information we do have, showed a situation of criminal acts and criminal conspiracy in Quebec. But, there is no information that there was unintended, or apprehended, or planned insurrection, which alone, would justify invoking the ''War Measures Act''."{{sfn|Spry|1973|loc=55:55–56:08}} Douglas voiced similar criticism: "The government, I submit, is using a sledgehammer to crack a peanut."<ref name="Greatest Canadian"/>

About five years later, some of the MPs who voted to implement it regretted doing so, and belatedly honoured Douglas and Lewis for their stand against it.<ref name="War Measures"/> Progressive Conservative leader [[Robert Stanfield]] went so far as to say "Quite frankly, I've admired Tommy Douglas and David Lewis, and those fellows in the NDP for having the courage to vote against that, although they took a lot of abuse at the time&nbsp;... I don't brood about it. I'm not proud of it."<ref name="War Measures"/>

==Late career and retirement==
Douglas resigned as NDP leader in 1971 but retained his seat in the House of Commons. Around the same time as the [[1971 New Democratic Party leadership election|leadership convention]] held to replace him, he asked the party not to buy him an elaborate parting gift.<ref name="DCF founding">{{cite news|last=Eisler|first=Dale|title=Douglas-Coldwell Foundation has come a long way in 10 years|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=L45VAAAAIBAJ&dq=coldwell%20douglas%20foundation&pg=2505%2C707074|access-date=7 December 2011|newspaper=The Leader-Post|date=5 August 1981|location=Regina, Saskatchewan|page=4}}</ref> Instead, he and his friend and political mentor M. J. Coldwell were honoured by the party with the creation of the [[Douglas–Coldwell Foundation]] in 1971. He served as the NDP's energy critic under the new leader, David Lewis. He was re-elected in the riding of Nanaimo–Cowichan–The Islands in the [[1972 Canadian federal election|1972]] and [[1974 Canadian federal election|1974 elections]].<ref name="Tommy's Fed CV" /> He retired from politics in 1979 and served on the board of directors of [[Husky Energy|Husky Oil]], an Alberta oil and gas exploration company that had holdings in Saskatchewan.

In 1980, Douglas was awarded a [[Doctor of Laws]] degree ''[[honoris causa]]'' by [[Carleton University]] in Ottawa. On 22 June 1981, Douglas was appointed to the [[Order of Canada]] as a Companion for his service as a political leader, and innovator in public policy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=1937 |title=Order of Canada |publisher=Archive.gg.ca |date=30 April 2009|access-date=21 February 2011}}</ref> In 1985, he was appointed to the [[Saskatchewan Order of Merit]]{{sfnm |1a1=Jackson |1y=2008 |1p=26 |2a1=Margoshes |2y=1999 |2p=199}} and Brandon University created a students' union building in honour of Douglas and his old friend, [[Stanley Knowles]].<ref name="BU Alumni News">{{cite magazine |last=Clark |first=Darci |year=2005 |title=Tommy Douglas, the Greatest Canadian: All Roads Lead Back to Brandon College |url=https://www.brandonu.ca/alumni/files/2013/05/2005SS.AlumniNews.pdf |magazine=Brandon University Alumni News |volume=106 |issue=1 |location=Brandon, Manitoba |publisher=Brandon University |pages=8–11 |access-date=21 September 2017}}</ref>

In June 1984, Douglas was injured when he was struck by a bus, but he quickly recovered and on his 80th birthday he claimed to ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' that he usually walked up to five miles a day.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Douglas is well after accident |date=26 October 1984 |work=Globe and Mail |page=8 |issn=0319-0714}}</ref> By this point in his life his memory was beginning to slow down and he stopped accepting speaking engagements but remained active in the Douglas–Coldwell Foundation. Later that year, on 30 November, he became a member of the [[Queen's Privy Council for Canada]].<ref name="Privy Council">{{cite news|title=Douglas Named to Privy Council|newspaper=Toronto Star|date=30 November 1984|author=UPIC|page=D14}}</ref><ref name="Privy Council Website">{{cite web|title=Historical Alphabetical List since 1867 of Members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada A–E|url=http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/index.asp?lang=eng&page=information&sub=council-conseil&doc=members-membres/hist/A-E-eng.htm#D|work=Government of Canada Privy Council Office|publisher=Queen's Printers for Canada|access-date=7 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117152612/http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/index.asp?lang=eng&page=information&sub=council-conseil&doc=members-membres%2Fhist%2FA-E-eng.htm#D|archive-date=17 January 2012|location=Ottawa|year=2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
Douglas died of cancer at the age of 81 on 24 February 1986, in [[Ottawa]] and was buried at [[Beechwood Cemetery]].<ref name="BU Alumni News"/><ref>{{cite news|title=Former NDP Leader Douglas dead at 81|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=k6QkAAAAIBAJ&pg=2766%2C2587233|access-date=7 December 2011|newspaper=Montreal Gazette|date=25 February 1986|agency=The Canadian Press|pages=A1, B1}}</ref><ref name="Death Notice">{{cite news|title=MPs mourn Douglas in Commons tribute|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=k6QkAAAAIBAJ&pg=2772%2C2659141|access-date=7 December 2011|newspaper=Montreal Gazette|date=25 February 1986|agency=The Canadian Press|page=B1}}</ref><ref name=CTV_Beechwood>{{cite news | url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/prentice-designates-beechwood-a-national-cemetery-1.376424 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021132246/http://www.ctvnews.ca/prentice-designates-beechwood-a-national-cemetery-1.376424 | url-status=dead | archive-date=21 October 2012 | title=Prentice designates Beechwood a 'national' cemetery | date=5 March 2009 | publisher=CTV News | access-date=25 February 2014}}</ref>

In a national TV contest, conducted by the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] (CBC) in 2004, he was crowned "[[The Greatest Canadian|Greatest Canadian]]" by viewers in an online vote.<ref name="Greatest CDN">{{cite web|title=The Greatest Canadians from the CBC Archives|url=http://archives.cbc.ca/society/celebrations/topics/1455/|work=CBC Archives|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|access-date=8 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121081437/http://archives.cbc.ca/society/celebrations/topics/1455/|archive-date=21 November 2011|location=Toronto|year=2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Tributes==
[[File:Tommy Douglas Statute, Saskatchewan, Canada.jpg|thumb|right|''The Greatest Canadian'', a statue depicting Douglas created by Lea Vivot and installed along the riverfront boardwalk in Weyburn, Saskatchewan]]
Douglas Provincial Park near Saskatchewan's [[Lake Diefenbaker]] and [[Qu'Appelle River Dam]] was named after him. The statue ''The Greatest Canadian'', created by [[Lea Vivot]], was erected in his hometown of [[Weyburn]] in September 2010 and unveiled by his grandson Kiefer Sutherland.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2010-09-10|title=Kiefer Sutherland unveils Tommy Douglas statue|work=[[CBC News]]|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/kiefer-sutherland-unveils-tommy-douglas-statue-1.873041|access-date=2021-07-09}}</ref> A library located in [[Burnaby]], British Columbia, was named in his honour and had its soft opening on 17 November 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://edmondslibrary.wordpress.com/|title=Edmondslib's Weblog|website=Edmondslib's Weblog}}</ref> Several schools have been named after him, including [[Tommy Douglas Collegiate]] in Saskatoon, and a student housing co-op in Toronto, Campus Co-operative Residences, named one of their houses after him as well.<ref name="Campus Co-op">{{cite web|title=146 Howland Ave (T.C. Douglas House)|url=http://www.campus.coop/houses/annex/146_howland|publisher=Campus Co-operative Residences|access-date=7 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106061908/http://www.campus.coop/houses/annex/146_howland|archive-date=6 January 2012|location=Toronto|year=2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Tommy Douglas Secondary School]] in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada named in his honour opened in February 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yrdsb.ca/schools/tommydouglas.ss/info/Pages/Our-School.aspx|title=Our School|publisher=[[York Region District School Board]]|access-date=10 September 2014}}</ref> Internationally the former [[National Labor College]] in [[Silver Spring, Maryland]], was renamed the Tommy Douglas Center after its purchase by the [[Amalgamated Transit Union]] in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atu.org/media/releases/transit-union-names-new-training-center-in-honor-of-rosa-parks-and-tommy-douglas|title=Transit Union names new training center in honor of Rosa Parks and Tommy Douglas|publisher=ATU Media Center|access-date=20 February 2017|archive-date=21 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170221012520/http://www.atu.org/media/releases/transit-union-names-new-training-center-in-honor-of-rosa-parks-and-tommy-douglas|url-status=dead}}</ref> In March 2019, a plaque commemorating Douglas as the "Father of Medicare" was revealed in Regina, Saskatchewan.<ref>{{cite web | last=Eneas | first=Bryan | title=Tommy Douglas honoured as person of national historic significance | website=CBC | date=8 March 2019 | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/tommy-douglas-honoured-person-of-national-historic-significance-1.5047980 | access-date=2025-04-01}}</ref>

===Artistic depiction===
In the two [[CBC Television]] [[mini-series]] about [[Pierre Trudeau]], ''Trudeau'' and ''Trudeau II: Maverick in the Making'', Douglas is portrayed by [[Eric Peterson]]. In the biography mini-series, ''[[Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story]]'', which aired on 12 and 13 March 2006, also on CBC, Douglas was played by [[Michael Therriault]]. The movie was widely derided by critics as being historically inaccurate. Particularly, the movie's portrayal of [[James Garfield Gardiner|James Gardiner]], premier of Saskatchewan from the late 1920s to mid-1930s, was objected to by political historians and the Gardiner family itself. In response, the CBC consulted a "third party historian" to review the film and pulled it from future broadcasts, including halting all home and educational sales.<ref name="Prairie Pulled"/> ''Prairie Giant'' was shown in Asia on the [[Hallmark Channel]] on 11 and 12 June 2007.<ref name="Prairie Pulled">{{Cite news|title=CBC pulls Tommy Douglas movie|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/cbc-pulls-tommy-douglas-movie-1.593005|publisher=CBC|date=12 June 2006|access-date=2 December 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=CBC pulls Tommy Douglas movie|url=http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=a3725ff3-a14d-40ea-892a-700bf8b36d49&k=74396|newspaper=Edmonton Journal|first=James|last=Wood|date=12 June 2006|access-date=30 April 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312185154/http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=a3725ff3-a14d-40ea-892a-700bf8b36d49&k=74396|archive-date=12 March 2007}}</ref>

Douglas was also the subject of a 1986 [[National Film Board of Canada]] documentary ''Tommy Douglas: Keeper of the Flame'',{{sfn|Swerhone|1986}} which received the [[Gemini Award]] for Best Writing in a Documentary Program or Series. Douglas was mentioned in the [[Michael Moore]] documentary ''[[Sicko]]'', which compared the health care system in the United States with that of [[Canada]] and other countries.<ref>{{Cite web | last=Wintonick | first=Peter | last2=Melnyk | first2=Debbie | last3=Caine | first3=Rick |date=2007-10-01 |title=The Sicko Debate: A Healthy Skepticism |url=https://povmagazine.com/the-sicko-debate-a-healthy-skepticism/ |access-date=2024-11-03 |website=POV Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2004, according to a THE CANADIANS encyclopedic series installation authored by [[Bill Waiser]], [[CBC Television|CBC]] viewers selected Tommy Douglas as "The Greatest Canadian".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Waiser |first=Bill |title=Tommy Douglas |publisher=Fitzhenry & Whitwside |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-55041-944-3 |location=[[Canada]]}}</ref>

==Fables==
"The Cream Separator" is a [[fable]], written by Douglas, which aims to explain the inherent [[Criticism of capitalism|injustices of the capitalist system]] as it relates to the [[agricultural sector]] by making the analogy that the [[upper class]] gets the cream, the [[middle class]] gets the whole milk, and the farmers and [[industrial workers]] get a watery substance that barely resembles milk.<ref name="Cream Separator speech">{{cite web|title=The Cream Separator|url=http://nonprofits.accesscomm.ca/srvoice/news/1999/02Sep99.htm|work=Senior's Voice September 1999 Newsletter|publisher=Senior's Voice|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001093854/http://nonprofits.accesscomm.ca/srvoice/news/1999/02Sep99.htm|archive-date=1 October 2011|location=Regina, Saskatchewan|date=2 September 1999|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{sfn|Sears|2005}}

He was also known for his retelling of the fable of "[[Mouseland]]", which likens the majority of voters to mice, and how they either elect black or white cats as their politicians, but never their own mice: meaning that workers and their general interests were not being served by electing wealthy politicians from the [[liberal politics|Liberal]] or Conservative parties (black and white cats), and that only a party from their class (mice), originally the CCF, later the NDP, could serve their interests (mice).<ref name=Mouseland>{{cite news|title=The story of Mouseland: A political allegory|url=http://archives.cbc.ca/politics/parties_leaders/topics/851-4958/|access-date=8 December 2011|newspaper=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|date=1 January 1961|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204145549/http://archives.cbc.ca/politics/parties_leaders/topics/851-4958/|archive-date=4 February 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Years later, his grandson, television actor [[Kiefer Sutherland]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 23, 2024 |title=Not just Kiefer's grandpa: If you don't know who Tommy Douglas is, here's why he mattered to Canada |url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/if-you-dont-know-who-tommy-douglas-is-heres-why-he-mattered-to-canada |work=[[Calgary Herald]]}}</ref> provided the introduction to a Mouseland animated video that used a Douglas Mouseland speech as its narration.<ref name="Mouseland video">Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/gqpFm7zAK90 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20100109215119/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqpFm7zAK90 Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|title=Mouseland|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqpFm7zAK90|via=YouTube| date=5 May 2006 |publisher=UFCW & NDP|access-date=7 December 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

== Electoral history ==
{{Main|Electoral history of Tommy Douglas}}

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
|+Electoral history of Tommy Douglas – Provincial and federal general elections
|-
! rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" | Year
! rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" | Type
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" | Party
! colspan="3" style="background:#eaecf0;" | Votes
! colspan="2" |Seats
! rowspan="2" |Position
|-
! style="background:#eaecf0;" | Total
! style="background:#eaecf0;" | %
! style="background:#eaecf0;" | {{tooltip|2=Change in percentage value since previous election|±%}}
!Total
!±
|-
![[1944 Saskatchewan general election|1944]]
| rowspan="5" |Provincial
| rowspan="5" style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|SK|CCF}};"|
| rowspan="5" | [[Saskatchewan Co-operative Commonwealth Federation|Co-operative<br>Commonwealth]]
|211,364
|53.1%
| +34.4%
|{{Composition bar compact|47|52|hex={{Canadian party colour|CA|CCF}}}}
| +37
|{{yes2|Majority government}}
|-
![[1948 Saskatchewan general election|1948]]
|236,900
|47.6%
|−5.5%
|{{Composition bar compact|31|52|hex={{Canadian party colour|CA|CCF}}}}
|−16
|{{yes2|Majority government}}
|-
![[1952 Saskatchewan general election|1952]]
|291,705
|54.1%
| +6.5%
|{{Composition bar compact|42|53|hex={{Canadian party colour|CA|CCF}}}}
| +11
|{{yes2|Majority government}}
|-
![[1956 Saskatchewan general election|1956]]
|249,634
|45.3%
|−8.8%
|{{Composition bar compact|36|53|hex={{Canadian party colour|CA|CCF}}}}
|−6
|{{yes2|Majority government}}
|-
![[1960 Saskatchewan general election|1960]]
|276,846
|40.8%
|−4.5%
|{{Composition bar compact|37|54|hex={{Canadian party colour|CA|CCF}}}}
| +1
|{{yes2|Majority government}}
|-
![[1962 Canadian federal election|1962]]
| rowspan="4" |Federal
| rowspan="4" style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP}};" |
| rowspan="4" |[[New Democratic Party|New Democratic]]
|1,044,754
|13.57%
|N/A
|{{Composition bar compact|19|265|hex={{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP}}}}
|N/A
|{{no2|Fourth party}}
|-
![[1963 Canadian federal election|1963]]
|1,044,701
|13.22%
|−0.35%
|{{Composition bar compact|17|265|hex={{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP}}}}
| −2
|{{no2|Fourth party}}
|-
![[1965 Canadian federal election|1965]]
|1,381,658
|17.91%
| +4.69%
|{{Composition bar compact|21|265|hex={{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP}}}}
| +4
|{{no2|Third party}}
|-
![[1968 Canadian federal election|1968]]
|1,378,263
|16.96%
|−0.95%
|{{Composition bar compact|22|264|hex={{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP}}}}
| +1
|{{no2|Third party}}
|-
! colspan="10" style="background:#eaecf0;" |
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
|+Electoral history of Tommy Douglas – Provincial and federal constituency elections
|-
! rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" | Year
! rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" | Type
! rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" | Riding
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" | Party
! colspan="4" style="background:#eaecf0;" | Votes for Douglas
! rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" | Result
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" | [[Swing (politics)|Swing]]
|-
! style="background:#eaecf0;" | Total
! style="background:#eaecf0;" | %
! style="background:#eaecf0;" | {{abbr|2=Position|P}}.
! style="background:#eaecf0;" | {{tooltip|2=Change in percentage value since previous election|±%}}
|-
![[1934 Saskatchewan general election|1934]]
|Provincial general
|[[Weyburn (provincial electoral district)|Weyburn]]
| style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|SK|Farmer-Labour}};" |
|[[Saskatchewan New Democratic Party|Farmer–Labour]]
|1,343
|25.84%
|3rd
|N/A
|{{no2|Lost}}
| style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|SK|Liberal}};" |
|'''Gain'''
|-
! style="background:#eaecf0;" | [[1935 Canadian federal election|1935]]
| rowspan="2" | Federal general
| rowspan="2" | [[Weyburn (federal electoral district)|Weyburn]]
| rowspan="2" style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|CA|CCF}};"|
| rowspan="2" | [[Co-operative Commonwealth Federation|Co-operative<br>Commonwealth]]
| 7,280
| 45.00%
| 1st
| N/A
| {{yes2|Elected}}
| style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|CA|CCF}};" |
| '''Gain'''
|-
![[1940 Canadian federal election|1940]]
|8,509
|52.10%
|1st
| +7.10%
| {{yes2|Elected}}
| style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|SK|CCF}};" |
|'''Hold'''
|-
![[1944 Saskatchewan general election|1944]]
| rowspan="5" |Provincial general
| rowspan="5" |[[Weyburn (provincial electoral district)|Weyburn]]
| rowspan="5" style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|SK|CCF}};"|
| rowspan="5" | [[Saskatchewan Co-operative Commonwealth Federation|Co-operative<br>Commonwealth]]
|5,605
|61.63%
|1st
|N/A
| {{yes2|Elected}}
| style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|SK|CCF}};" |
|'''Gain'''
|-
![[1948 Saskatchewan general election|1948]]
|6,273
|56.31%
|1st
|−5.32%
| {{yes2|Elected}}
| style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|SK|CCF}};" |
|'''Hold'''
|-
![[1952 Saskatchewan general election|1952]]
|6,020
|59.86%
|1st
| +3.55%
| {{yes2|Elected}}
| style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|SK|CCF}};" |
|'''Hold'''
|-
![[1956 Saskatchewan general election|1956]]
|4,930
|48.17%
|1st
|−11.69%
| {{yes2|Elected}}
| style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|SK|CCF}};" |
|'''Hold'''
|-
![[1960 Saskatchewan general election|1960]]
|5,054
|48.43%
|1st
| +0.26%
| {{yes2|Elected}}
| style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|SK|CCF}};" |
|'''Hold'''
|-
![[1962 Canadian federal election|1962]]
|Federal general
|[[Regina City]]
| rowspan="7" style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP}};"|
| rowspan="7" |[[New Democratic Party|New Democratic]]
|12,736
|28.94%
|2nd
|N/A
|{{no2|Lost}}
| style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|CA|PC}};"|
|'''Hold'''
|-
!1962
|Federal by-election
| rowspan="3" |[[Burnaby—Coquitlam]]
|16,313
|50.43%
|1st
|N/A
| {{yes2|Elected}}
|style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP}};"|
|'''Hold'''
|-
![[1963 Canadian federal election|1963]]
| rowspan="3" |Federal general
|19,067
|46.37%
|1st
|−4.06%
| {{yes2|Elected}}
|style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP}};"|
|'''Hold'''
|-
![[1965 Canadian federal election|1965]]
|22,553
|52.92%
|1st
| +6.55%
| {{yes2|Elected}}
|style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP}};"|
|'''Hold'''
|-
![[1968 Canadian federal election|1968]]
|[[Burnaby—Seymour]]
|17,753
|44.89%
|2nd
|N/A
|{{no2|Lost}}
| style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal}};"|
|'''Gain'''
|-
!1969
|Federal by-election
| rowspan="2" |[[Nanaimo—Cowichan—The Islands|Nanaimo—Cowichan<br>—The Islands]]
|19,730
|57.03%
|1st
|N/A
| {{yes2|Elected}}
|style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP}};"|
|'''Hold'''
|-
![[1972 Canadian federal election|1972]]
|Federal general
|25,483
|56.93%
|1st
|−0.10%
| {{yes2|Elected}}
|style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP}};"|
|'''Hold'''
|-
! colspan="12" style="background:#eaecf0;" |
|}

==Honorary degrees==
{{Incomplete list|date=May 2009}}

Douglas received honorary degrees from several universities, including
*[[University of Saskatchewan]] in [[Saskatoon, Saskatchewan]] (LLD) in 1962<ref name="UofS hon. degree">{{cite web|title=The Honorable Thomas Clement Douglas, BA, M.A.|url=https://www.usask.ca/archives/history/hondegrees.php?id=137&view=detail&keyword=&campuses=|work=University History Honorary degree recipients|publisher=University of Saskatewan|access-date=7 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001055351/http://www.usask.ca/archives/history/hondegrees.php?id=137&view=detail&keyword=&campuses=|archive-date=1 October 2012|location=Regina, Saskatchewan|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[McMaster University]] in [[Hamilton, Ontario]] (LLD) in May 1969<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcmaster.ca/univsec/reports_lists/S_HD_Recipients.pdf |title=Recipients |publisher=mcmaster.ca |access-date=28 July 2010}}</ref>
*[[Queen's University at Kingston|Queen's University]] in [[Kingston, Ontario]] (LLD) on 27 May 1972<ref name="Queen's LL.D">{{cite news|title=Honorary Doctorate for Tommy Douglas|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=364&dat=19720524&id=5JQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2566,2203008|access-date=7 December 2011|newspaper=Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronicle|date=24 May 1972|location=Ladysmith, British Columbia|page=3}}</ref>
*[[University of Regina]] in [[Regina, Saskatchewan]] in 1978<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uregina.ca/president/assets/docs/honorary-degree/zhdr-recipients-chrono.pdf |url-status=live |title=University of Regina Honorary Degree Recipients |publisher=[[University of Regina]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112220047/https://www.uregina.ca/president/assets/docs/honorary-degree/zhdr-recipients-chrono.pdf |archive-date=12 January 2024 |access-date=11 April 2024}}</ref>
*[[Carleton University]] in [[Ottawa]], Ontario (LLD) in 1980<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://carleton.ca/senate/honorary-degrees/honorary-degrees-awarded-since-1954/ |title=Honorary Degrees Awarded Since 1954 |website=carleton.ca|access-date=12 November 2018}}</ref>
*[[University of Toronto]] in [[Toronto|Toronto, Ontario]] (LLD) in June 1980<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/Assets/Governing+Council+Digital+Assets/Boards+and+Committees/Committee+for+Honorary+Degrees/degreerecipients1850tillnow.pdf | title=Honorary Degree Recipients 1850 – 2016 | publisher=University of Toronto | access-date=2 October 2016 }}</ref>
*[[University of British Columbia]] in [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], (LLD) 27 May 1981<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/hdcites/hdcites8.html#douglas |title=UBC Archives – Honorary Degree Citations 1981–1988 |website=library.ubc.ca |access-date=12 November 2018}}</ref>
*[[Trent University]] in [[Peterborough, Ontario]] (LLD) in 1983<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trentu.ca/administration/pdfs/TrentUniversityRecipientsofHonoraryDegrees.pdf |title=Recipients of Honorary/Degrees |publisher=Trent University |access-date=28 July 2010 |archive-date=5 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305201329/http://www.trentu.ca/administration/pdfs/TrentUniversityRecipientsofHonoraryDegrees.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== Archives ==
There are Tommy Douglas [[fonds]] at [[Library and Archives Canada]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Finding aid to Tommy Douglas fonds, Library and Archives Canada|url=https://data2.archives.ca/pdf/pdf001/p000002011.pdf|access-date=15 May 2020}}</ref> and the [[Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=T.C. Douglas fonds, Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan|url=https://search.saskarchives.com/t-c-douglas-fonds|access-date=15 May 2020}}</ref>

==References==
===Footnotes===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin|35em|indent=yes}}
* {{cite book |last= Black|first= Edwin|author-link = Edwin Black|year= 2003|title= War Against the Weak: Eugenics and America's Campaign to Create a Master Race|location= New York|publisher= Four Walls Eight Windows|isbn= 978-1-56858-258-0|url= https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781568582580|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|last=Jackson|first=D. Michael|year=2008|chapter=The Crown in Saskatchewan: An Institution Renewed|editor-last=Leeson|editor-first=Howard A.|title=Saskatchewan Politics: Crowding the Centre|location=Regina, Saskatchewan|publisher=University of Regina Press|isbn=978-0-88977-234-2}}
* {{cite book |last= Margoshes|first= Dave|year= 1999|title= Tommy Douglas: Building the New Society|location= Lantzville, British Columbia|publisher = XYZ Publishing|isbn= 978-0-9683601-4-9|url= https://archive.org/details/tommydouglasbuil0000marg|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book| last1= McLeod| first1= Thomas H.| last2= McLeod| first2= Ian| year= 2004| title= The Road to Jerusalem| edition= 2nd| location= Calgary| publisher= Fifth House| isbn= 978-1-894856-48-5}}
* {{cite book| last= McLaren| first= Angus|author-link=Angus McLaren (historian)| year= 1990| title= Our Own Master Race: Eugenics in Canada, 1885–1945| location= Toronto| publisher = Oxford University Press| isbn= 978-0-19-541365-6}}
* {{cite journal|last=Sears|first=Robin V.|author-link=Robin Sears|year=2005|title=The Left: From Hope to Sneers in 25 Years|url=http://www.irpp.org/po/archive/mar05en/sears.pdf|journal=Policy Options|volume=26|issue=3|pages=19–26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050404112326/http://irpp.org/po/archive/mar05en/sears.pdf|archive-date=4 April 2005|access-date=8 December 2011}}
* {{cite book| last= Shackleton| first= Doris French| year= 1975| title= Tommy Douglas| url= https://archive.org/details/tommydouglas0000shac| url-access = registration| location= Toronto| publisher= McClelland & Stewart| isbn= 978-0-7710-8116-3}}
* {{cite book |last= Smith|first= Cameron|year= 1989|title= Unfinished Journey: The Lewis Family|location= Toronto|publisher = Summerhill Press|isbn= 978-0-929091-04-4|url= https://archive.org/details/unfinishedjourne00smit|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite AV media| last= Spry| first= Robin| author-link= Robin Spry| year= 1973| title= Action: The October Crisis of 1970| url= http://www.nfb.ca/film/action_the_october_crisis_of_1970/| medium= motion picture| publisher= National Film Board of Canada| access-date= 11 December 2009}}
* {{cite book |last= Stewart|first= Walter|author-link = Walter Stewart (journalist)|year= 2000|title= M.J.: The Life and Times of M.J. Coldwell|location= Toronto|publisher= Stoddart Publishing|isbn= 978-0-7737-3232-2|url-access = registration|url= https://archive.org/details/mjlifetimesofmjc0000stew}}
* {{cite book| last= Stewart| first= Walter| author-link = Walter Stewart (journalist)| author-mask = {{longdash}}| year= 2003| title= Tommy: The Life and Politics of Tommy Douglas| location= Toronto| publisher= McArthur & Company| isbn= 978-1-55278-382-5}}
* {{cite AV media| last= Swerhone| first= Elise| year= 1986| title= Tommy Douglas: Keeper of the Flame| url= http://www.nfb.ca/film/tommy_douglas_keeper_of_the_flame/| medium= motion picture| publisher= National Film Board of Canada| access-date= 22 October 2009}}
* {{cite book |editor-last= Thomas|editor-first = Lewis|year= 1982|title= The Making of a Socialist: The Recollections of T.C. Douglas|location= Edmonton|publisher= The University of Alberta Press|isbn= 978-0-88864-070-3|url= https://archive.org/details/makingofsocialis00doug|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |last= Young|first= Walter D.|author-link=Walter D. Young|year= 1969|title= The Anatomy of a Party: The National CCF, 1932–61|location= Toronto|publisher = University of Toronto Press|isbn= 978-0-8020-5221-6}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin|35em|indent=yes}}
* {{cite book| last= Horowitz| first= Gad| author-link = Gad Horowitz| year= 1968| title= Canadian Labour in Politics| location= Toronto| publisher= University of Toronto Press| isbn= 978-0-8020-1902-8}}
* {{cite book| last= Johnson| first= A. W.| author-link= Albert Wesley Johnson| year= 2004| title= Dream No Little Dreams: A Biography of the Douglas Government of Saskatchewan, 1944–1961| location= Toronto| publisher = University of Toronto Press| isbn= 978-0-8020-8954-0| jstor = 10.3138/j.ctt1287srz}}
* {{cite book|last=Lam | first= Vincent|author-link = Vincent Lam| year= 2011| title= Tommy Douglas| series= Extraordinary Canadians| location= Toronto| publisher = Penguin Group| isbn= 978-0-670-06851-7}}
* {{cite book| last= McHenry| first= Dean Eugene| author-link = Dean McHenry| year= 1950| title= The Third Force in Canada: The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, 1932–1948| location= Berkeley, California| publisher= University of California Press}}
* {{cite journal|last=Shevell|first=Michael|year=2012|title=A Canadian Paradox: Tommy Douglas and Eugenics|journal=Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences|volume=39|issue=1|pages=35–39|issn=2057-0155|doi=10.1017/S0317167100012658|pmid=22384493|doi-access=free}}
* {{cite book |last= Smith|first= Cameron|year= 1992|title= Love & Solidarity|location= Toronto|publisher= McClelland & Stewart|isbn= 978-0-7710-8209-2|url-access = registration|url= https://archive.org/details/lovesolidaritypi0000smit}}
* {{cite journal| last= Thomas| first= Lewis| year= 1981| title= The CCF Victory in Saskatchewan, 1944| journal= Saskatchewan History| volume= 34| issue= 1| pages= 1–16| issn= 0036-4908}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{sister project links|d=Q359653|c=Category:Tommy Douglas|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|wikt=no|species=no}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20031209123750/http://www.saskndp.com/history/douglas.html Tommy Douglas and his Government 1944–1960]
*[http://www.cupe1975.ca/bursary/burs8.html Biography of Thomas Clement Douglas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307193831/http://www.cupe1975.ca/bursary/burs8.html |date=7 March 2012 }}
*[http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/politics/parties-leaders/tommy-douglas-and-the-ndp/tc-douglas-politician.html CBC Digital Archives – Tommy Douglas and the NDP]
*{{OCC|1937}}
*{{Canadian Parliament links|ID=2135}}
*[http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/douglas_thomas_clement_1904-86.html Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525070247/http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/douglas_thomas_clement_1904-86.html |date=25 May 2013 }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100702211012/http://www.tpcs.gov.sk.ca/Douglas Douglas Provincial Park]

{{Tommy Douglas}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Tommy}}
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