History Essay
By the year 1981, Canada had made great changes to Canadian society. Before
1981, there was no such thing as free healthcare. It had to be paid for. Free health care
was provided, women's rights were improved, and human rights were better. In the past,
Canada did not treat people well, but that has changed since 1981. Canada did well to
create a country we wanted in 1981.
Firstly, Canada gave the country free healthcare. It is a great improvement to the
country, which also lifted a lot of debt. Good health is important for everyone. If people
have access to it, they can remain healthy, which leads to healthy people that can work
and contribute to building the economy. It helps a lot of people because having access
to healthcare without struggling to pay for it will keep them healthy, which lets them
work, earn money, and help improve the economy. The Great Depression caused about
60% of Canadians to not be able to afford healthcare in 1929. There was a great
demand in a better healthcare system. In 1962, there was a doctor strike. The doctors
refused to work for free, but in the end, most doctors agreed with the system and went
back to work. Therefore, giving free health care to Canadians was a very great and
impactful move that helped the Canadian economy and the Canadians lives.
Secondly, Canada gave more rights to women. That includes legalizing birth
control pills, abortion, giving equal pay for work of equal value, family law, maternity
leave, and conditions for Indigenous women. Before, it was illegal to prevent pregnancy
and the pills were used for therapeutic purposes only. Abortion was dangerous and
many of 1000s of people died from it. Abortion was legalized after the Omnibus Bill only
under certain circumstances (like the health of patient), but not under any other
circumstances. These are rights that women get to have because it is their own body,
own choice, basic work, and family rights.
Lastly, Canada’s Omnibus bill allowed gay rights and divorce, which are both
basic human rights. Allowing gay rights and divorce is an improvement to Canada.
Before the Omnibus bill, Canada didn't have divorce courts, but only passed private
bills. The divorce could only happen if one or the other was at fault. After the Omnibus
bill, divorce was allowed even if no one was at fault. Sexual relations between adults of
the same sex was banned. The law banning sexual relations between adults of the
same sex was gone. Same sex marriage was allowed. Therefore, this is a huge
improvement to Canadians and allows more freedom.
With all these arguments, Canada achieved the country people wanted by 1981.
Canada gave free healthcare, women's rights, and human rights. All these
improvements to Canada have made us advance as a society, which will lead to even
more improvements in the future.
References
Zizzo, Monique. “The Events That Led to Free Health Care in Canada.”
INKspire, 7 Feb. 2021, inkspire.org/post/the-events-that-led-to-free-healthcare-in-canada/-Ket16PAME3UjCTo3Nm0.
“Abortion in Canada | The Canadian Encyclopedia.” Unknown Author,
www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/abortion. Accessed 4 June 2022.
“Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights in Canada.” The Canadian
Encyclopedia, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/lesbian-gay-bisexualand-transgender-rights-in-canada. Accessed 6 June 2022.