Doug's Illustrations Help Tell the Story of Life Before Medicare, Canadian Experiences

The 1995 publication of Life Before Medicare, Canadian Experiences, was "written in the hope that it will benefit the younger and future generations of Canadians" who might at some point question continued support of Canadian Medicare.

The Preface of the 148-page book explains that the Canada Health Act was "born out of the socialist government in Saskatchewan, and out of the misery of the Great Depression that stretched across Canada and lasted up to the Second World War." And by collecting and then publishing stories about "the bad old days" before public health insurance, it was hoped that such reflections would quiet dissenting voices who seek change in health policy.

The published letters, sometimes accompanied with family photographs or illustrated by Doug, "bear testimony to the anguish suffered by many Canadians before public health insurance." (blog entries by Heidi Hutson)