Trained as a Baptist preacher, Tommy Douglas became a skilled politician, witty orator, and advocate for social justice, believing political action was the best way to improve the lives of Canadians. Douglas was Premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961, leading the only Co-operative Commonwealth Federation government in Canada. Under his direction, the province pioneered publicly funded hospital insurance, which laid the foundations for a national medicare program. As the first leader of the federal New Democratic Party, he wielded significant influence defending human rights and strengthening Canada’s social welfare programs. *Note: This designation has been identified for review. A review can be triggered for one of the following reasons - outdated language or terminology, absence of a significant layer of history, factual errors, controversial beliefs and behaviour, or significant new knowledge.