The Feb/Mar 2014 issue of Canada’s History magazine features iconic Canadian idol Tommy Douglas as the cover boy.

Here’s what editor Mark Reid has to say about this issue:

“A few years ago, the CBC did a poll on our greatest Canadian. Overwhelmingly, the vote was for Tommy Douglas, the father of modern medicare. But few Canadians realize that Douglas’s dream almost died back in 1962, when medicare came into effect in Saskatchewan. As soon as it was enacted, every doctor in the province went on strike in protest. Our cover story asks the big “What if” question – what if Douglas had failed? Today we consider medicare a Canadian right. This story helps us appreciate how fortunate we are that Tommy Douglas won the fight for medicare.”