It’s Canada Day

On this day in 1867, with the passage of the British North America Act, the Dominion of Canada was officially established, uniting its various provinces into one nation.

As many will be aware, the influence of those Scots in Canada was and continues to be immense. Next week the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, will visit the Queen at Holyrood Palace. Mr Trudeau’s grandfather was from Banffshire.

To our utter shame as a nation, very few Scots will recognise the name of Tommy Douglas, born in Camelon, Falkirk in 1904.

In a national TV contest, conducted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 2004, Douglas was crowned “Greatest Canadian” by viewers in a vote, almost 18 years after his death.

Douglas was the Premier of Saskatchewan between 1944 and 1961 and his government was the first social democratic government in North America.

His number one concern was the creation of Medicare, of which is he is the acknowledged father, introducing the continent’s first singlepayer universal health care programme.

Medical insurance reform was introduced in his first term, and he gradually moved the province towards universal Medicare near the end of his last term.

Finally launched in Saskatchewan in 1962, the Medicare scheme was later adopted across the rest of Canada.

As we mark Canada’s “birthday”, let us spare a moment to acknowledge those Scots, such as Tommy Douglas, who have played – and continue to play – such a major role in that nation.

ALEX ORR Leamington Terrace, Edinburgh