Shifting Focus: Medicare, Canadian Historians, and New Research Directions.

This article urges Canadian historians to undertake research into the many neglected aspects of the origin and evolution of Canadian Medicare. As a visible component of civic ideology and national identity, Medicare illustrates not only the nation-building aspects of the welfare state but also the ongoing redefinition of federal/provincial/territorial relations, the power of region, class and gender, and the need for historical understanding of the roots of contemporary healthcare problems to aid politicians, bureaucrats and the public in making critical policy decisions now and in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cet article invite les historiens canadiens à entreprendre des recherches sur divers aspects négligés de l'origine et de l'évolution de l'assurance maladie publique au Canada (Medicare). L'étude de Medicare, une composante éminemment visible de la pensée civique et de l'identité nationales, permet d'éclairer non seulement la formation de l'État providence, mais aussi la redéfinition en cours des relations entre les gouvernements fédéral, provincial et des territoires, la dimension régionale de même que les rapports de classe et de genre. Il permet également de répondre au besoin de mieux comprendre les racines historiques des problèmes sanitaires contemporains, et ainsi d'aider les politiciens, les fonctionnaires et la population à prendre des décisions éclairées. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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