Whole Washington is honored to present two 30-minute films produced by the National Film Board of Canada.

Bitter Medicine

Part 1 documents the struggle to establish Medicare in Saskatchewan, the fierce resistance offered by the medical establishment, and the ultimate success in extending the program to all of Canada.

Part 2 describes the system in 1982 – twenty years after its national adoption. Despite its popularity, Medicare struggled to survive continued erosion from the medical establishment and other players as they struggled for the power to control it.

While the events recounted in these films occurred 40 to 60 years ago, they show that the barriers to universal healthcare then were much the same as those we encounter today. They present valuable lessons that we would do well to heed during our fight to establish this basic human right.

PLEASE RSVP ON ZOOM TOO: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZNYuneVjTnWc6zV9FVWGNw

Donation Suggestion: $10

Event Schedule:

2:30 pm - 3:00 pm Whole Washington Intro, Movie Intro, and Chat
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Showing of Bitter Medicine part 1 & 2
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm Group Discussion and Call to Action

Additional Background Information

• Canada-A People’s History has an excellent article about the evolution of universal healthcare in Canada.
• Watch Tommy Douglas clearly and succinctly describe why the government is the best provider of health insurance.
• This interview shows that the debates we engage in today are not new.
• Fears regarding resource shortages in the wake of mandated universal healthcare were quite common in 1971.