Fred Payton
Prince Albert Historical Society
Buried deep in a box in the Bill Smiley Archives is a letter written from British Columbia to the widow of a former associate of Charles Lionel Dent. The letter itself has little information of interest, but there is one thought contained in it which made me stop and think. The writer indicated that “the people in Ottawa” were about to honour T.C. Douglas and Emmett Hall for the implementation of medicare, not only for Saskatchewan, but also for Canada. Although he had no quarrel with them being so honoured, he had always thought of Charles Lionel Dent whenever medicare was mentioned, and that the origins of the programme were in Prince Albert.
Charles Lionel Dent had been born on May 25th, 1889 in Cowansville, Quebec. His parents had immigrated from Yorkshire, England. During the First World War, Dent had served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, including six months in Germany. While overseas, he married Mary Curran, and they came to Prince Albert after the war. Dent was originally employed at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary before going in to business for himself as a grocer.
Many of Dent’s customers were neighbours and men with whom he had worked at the Penitentiary. Some of these individuals shared his philosophy with respect to medical care. A letter which Dent wrote in 1952 to one of these individuals, Horace Darby, reminisced about their discussions “in the days when five of us used to meet in your bedroom on 15th Street West and more or less lay the foundation for the league.” Others who were likely included in these talks were Henry Jacobs and Chuck Adams.
History suggests that these discussions began in the late 1920s or early 1930s. At least some of the men had served overseas with the Canadian forces and, as a result, their medical care was covered. But they understood that not everyone was so fortunate and, as the Depression left more and more people unable to afford medical care, they became more and more serious about doing something about it.
From 1931 until 1936 Dent’s initial idea was reviewed and polished. Research into state medical plans in other countries, including New Zealand and the Scandinavian countries, were of most interest to those discussing it. However, even by 1934, it was felt that public opinion was not yet ready to accept the movement. Finally, in 1936, it was considered that the populace was more accepting, and the decision was made to hold a public discussion.
The first official meeting of the League was held on April 24th, 1936. Memberships were 25 cents per person and $5.00 for clubs or organisations. Initially the League was called the Saskatchewan State Hospital and Medical League, but they soon dropped the word Saskatchewan as they became hopeful that the organisation might become a national movement.
At that meeting, the object of the League was established as an organisation which would promote in every way the socialization of the Province’s medical structure, much as education had become. The League would gather, tabulate, and compile information derived from world-wide resources in order to assist the Provincial government in every constitutional way possible in order to promote that socialization.
Some of the slogans identified for the use of the League were “Prevention is Better Than Cure”, Adequate Medical Care for All”, and “The First Wealth is Health”.
The organisors believed that the only way to make the League a success was for the people of the province to be made aware of their goals and objectives and, as a result, they ensured that a report of the meeting was published in every newspaper in the province.
Coming from this first meeting was a decision to establish a first aid booth at the Prince Albert Fair from August 4th to August 7th. Information would be provided to the fair-goers, and memberships would be sold.
Eventually two doctors were attracted to the idea – Dr. W.H. Setka of Prince Albert, and Dr. F.N. Moore of Regina. Much like the eventual introduction of Medicare in 1961, these doctors were shunned and isolated by their peers as the members of the medical profession felt that the League was attempting to limit their earning power and their income.
Dr. Moore attended a further meeting in 1936, held in Saskatoon, and was elected as president of the organisation, as were a number of other people from Saskatoon and various other parts of the province.
Support for the League came from the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, the municipal councils of Regina, Saskatoon, and Prince Albert, the United Farmers, the Teachers’ Federation, and the Federation of the Blind.
A further provincial meeting of the League was held in Regina in 1938 at a time when there was an even greater interest in the implementation of some form of socialized medicine. Even John Difenbaker, the leader of the provincial Conservative Party had campaigned on a policy of health insurance and hospitalization coverage during the 1938 provincial election. The successful Liberal government, under the leadership of Premier William John Patterson, implemented the Municipal Medical and Hospital Services Act. This authorized rural municipal councils, upon voter approval, to provide, manage, and fund local medical or hospital services, permitting tax-funded healthcare.
The foregoing change of attitude could largely be attributed to Matt Anderson, the reeve of the Rural Municipality of Bulyea, who had researched and promoted a form of cooperative health care and made it a desirable and acceptable policy for both the Liberal and Conservative parties.
Although considered a step in the right direction, it was still not that for which Charles Dent and the State Hospital and Medical League was fighting. After their 1938 meeting in Regina, they continued to push for health treatment to be a responsibility to be paid for by the government out of tax dollars.
By 1945, six cities, thirty-four towns, and 166 organisations were affiliated with the State Hospital and Medical League. Sixteen districts had been established, with centralised health care facilities to serve as district hospitals. Briefs were still being presented to the government, delegates met with cabinet ministers, meetings and conventions were held, and pamphlets by the thousand were being mailed, while radio and newspapers were utilised to spread the “gospel” of the State Hospital and Medical League.
Eleven years after the League was formed, the Government of Saskatchewan announced its decision to implement a Hospitalisation Act. It was not all that the League had asked for, but it was a beginning.
In the 1970s, efforts were instituted by the pioneer members of the State Hospital and Medical League to have the provincial government honour the work done by Charles Lionel Dent with respect to the League. A plaque was presented to the City of Prince Albert commemorating his work, and it was placed in the Historical Museum. The plaque read:
State Hospital and Medical League
Formed in 1936, this League promoted through the media improved medical care in the Province. Their objective was to make available to everyone, irrespective of ability to pay, the full benefits of preventative and curative medicine, and to provide for the expansion and development of medical facilities in keeping with the needs of the people and the advances of science. In 1947 some of these ideals were realized when the Saskatchewan Hospitalization Services Plan began.
Erected by the pioneers of State Hospital and Medical League in co-operation with the Government of Saskatchewan.
A final letter in the file, written by one of the pioneers, indicated “We did NOT plan MEDICARE…The Hospital and Medical League planned a plan which resulted in State Medicine. Medicare came much later.”
