Monday 2 December 2019
By the way, in case you missed it, Norman Bethune was a communist.
Among the newest set of movie-sparked accolades for Canada's revolutionary 20th century hero, Norman Bethune, most of the press coverage steps over, or downplays the basic motivation and context for his key interventions in two of the most important events in the political history of the last century, the Spanish Civil War in 1939 and the Chinese revolution in 1949. Just as much as Tommy Douglas, originally opposed by Canada's medical establishment but now universally celebrated as a national hero, communist party member Bethune was a strong, though long isolated among Canadian physicians, voice for publicly funded healthcare available to all in Canada, rich or poor. With the communist party he joined he stood for the rights of all to a decent life free from debilitating sickness and exclusion. Thus he was a foundational builder of the values of the modern Canada most here now support and defend and in China, where the writer of this post spent some time teaching, the words Norman Bethune appear in the name of many hospitals built after the revolution of 1949.
For all the positive attention likely to come the way of Bethune's memory as the newest movie on his life goes into production let no-one forget the ideals that led him to do what he did in revolutionary struggles that ultimately changed the lives of billions for the better and ultimately cost him his life. As a celebrant of what social enterprise, at its best, can do for the betterment of human life, at the same time TorontotheBetter recognizes and supports the fundamental importance of free public services as rights of all in any jurisdiction that wishes to call itself democratic and for the people. As is only too clear at our moment in history this principle has still to be learned in certain places and by certain leaders. Let Bethune's revolutionary spirit be re-animated in fact, not just on film, as it is by current activist healthcare professionals like Cathy Crowe, campaigner for Canada's homeless, whose recent interview with TorontotheBetter will soon be available on this blog, and, will too, we trust, contribute to a new generation of social and political action, especially for the poor and the marginalized, in a country historically known for the quality and extent of its social support.
# posted by Taodhg @ 7:59 pm 
