The Policy History of Canadian Medicare

Abstract

Despite its importance in Canada, the history of Medicare has rarely been examined by historians of medicine. Of the many possible reasons, three stand out. First is the political nature of the policy and the historical profession’shift from political history in recent decades. Second is the challenge posed in researching a complex public policy involving numerous administrative and financial instruments. Finally, there is the decentralized nature of the Canadian federation in which the history of Medicare belongs as much, if not more, to the provinces than a single, national-level government.