This year will mark what would have been the 100th birthday of Woodrow Stanley Lloyd. Mr. Lloyd was born July 16, 1913 at Webb, Saskatchewan and went on to be the eighth premier of Saskatchewan.
First elected to the Saskatchewan Legislature in 1944 for the constituency of Biggar under then Premier Tommy Douglas, Lloyd became the youngest cabinet minister in Saskatchewan history up to that point, when he was appointed Minister of Education. His political career in Saskatchewan spanned 27 years and was not without controversy.
In his 16 years as Minister of Education he oversaw the complete overhaul of the education system in the province. Lloyd introduced the amalgamation of over 5000 local school boards into a mere 56 larger school units in the years 1944 to 1945. This move was not welcomed by all as it heralded the closure of nearly all the one-room school houses over the following two decades, and removed control from the local school boards. What this move did achieve was to create more equitable education opportunities across the province. Providing students more opportunities to receive access to increased education resources, including provincial grants.
In 1961 Douglas resigned as Premier and assumed the leadership of the newly formed federal New Democratic Party (NDP). Lloyd was then elected leader of what was called the Saskatchewan CCF-NDP.
As premier of Saskatchewan he piloted Canada's first Medicare program, following its introduction by Douglas in 1959, from legislation to implementation in 1962. Implementation was met with resistance from the College of Physicians and Surgeons who said doctors would not co-operate with a compulsory, government-run plan.
Although the Saskatchewan Medical Care Insurance Bill was introduced in the Saskatchewan legislature on October 13, 1961, was passed and given royal assent in November, the Lloyd government delayed its implementation in hopes of reaching an agreement with the physicians.
In May 1962, the doctors passed a resolution vowing that physicians would close their practices if and when Medicare came into force. The "Keep Our Doctors" committees were established and a campaign, backed by the Regina Leader-Post was undertaken with warnings that most doctors would leave the province if socialized medicine were introduced.
The Lloyd government had to deal with the doctors strike in July of 1962 when the physicians withdrew services in an attempt to destroy the Medicare initiative. Approximately 90% of the province's doctors shut their offices.
The government brought in doctors from Britain, the United States and other provinces to staff clinics set-up to meet demand for health services. A July rally in support of the doctors in front of the Saskatchewan legislature in Regina attracted about 4,000 people, one-tenth the number hoped for by the organizers.
A mediator was brought in and an agreement ending the strike was made on July 23, 1962. Our health system was born and by 1965 most of the medical profession was in support of Medicare. Over the next decade the Saskatchewan model of Medicare was adopted throughout Canada.
The Lloyd government was defeated by Ross Thatcher and the Liberals in 1964.
Lloyd continued as Leader of the Opposition until 1970 when Allan Blakeney was elected leader of the Saskatchewan NDP, and retiring in 1971. Upon Lloyd's retirement, former premier Douglas said Lloyd was "the conscience of the government and the conscience of the party."
Following his retirement, Lloyd was appointed as representative for the United Nations Development Program in South Korea. However just months after assuming this post, he died suddenly in Seoul, South Korea at the age of 58.
In southeast Saskatchewan - Arcola hospital - no emergency services, Kipling hospital - no emergency services, Redvers hospital - no emergency services. . .
I wonder what Mr. Lloyd would do if he were here now . . .
