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Tommy Douglas was born in Scotland in 1904 and immigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1919 with his family. Born of working-class and religious parents, he was ordained into the Baptist church in 1930. He later became interested in alleviating the suffering he witnessed during the Great Depression, and in the federal election of 1935 was successfully elected the leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF). In 1944 Douglas resigned his federal seat to become Premier of Saskatchewan for the next 17 years. In 1961 Douglas resigned as premier and in the following by-election became the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) until 1971. Douglas is recognized as the father of socialized medicine, having first advocated Medicare in Canada. He is also credited with having fought for a Canada-wide pension plan and bargaining rights for civil servants. In 1946 Douglas undertook to sponsor a union of the various aboriginal tribes in Saskatchewan, as a way to assist the tribes in having a more effective voice in promoting their own welfare. (Taken from "The Canadian Encyclopedia", Vol.1, Hurtig Publishers, Edmonton, 1985, p.507-508.)