Tommy Douglas

Well. A first for me this evening. I finished watching a CBC drama and found it well-produced and enjoyable.

Last weekend, I recorded Prairie Giant, the CBC's four-hour miniseries about the life of Tommy Douglas. I wasn't sure if I'd like it, given that it was made by the CBC and that I'm not exactly well-versed or (*hides*) terribly interested in Canadian history. But it turned out to be quite a gripping programme - though unsurprisingly, there have been some criticisms of its historical accuracy.

No doubt riding the wave of Douglas' victory in last year's "Greatest Canadian" poll, the series was definitely timely. And I learned far more about the man than I expected. Like many young Canadians, all I really knew about Tommy Douglas was that he was a socialist politician from Saskatchewan who was the architect of the national Medicare system. But the most surprising thing I learned about him was the full extent of his radical politics. And they were radical - throughout his political career, he was routinely derided as a Communist. Yet his administrations introduced most of the legislative provisions we now take for granted - not only free universal health care for all, but the forty-hour working week, Old Age pensions, the Bill of Rights...the list goes on.

It served as yet another reminder to me of the pivotal role played by radicalism in history. Though radicals are routinely derided and sidelined by the mainstream (and I include myself in the ranks of the latter), some of the most urgent political and social change nonetheless comes about because of their actions. It makes me wonder which cockamamie ideas, presently being touted by radical thinkers and activists, will be common currency in fifty years. Just as Tommy Douglas' dream of free, high-quality health care for everyone in this country was, not even fifty years ago.