The way my post of a moment ago should have looked...

Pearson and the Liberals brought in medicare, kicking and screaming, not because they were the champions of progressive, social programmes, but because it served as an appeasement to the left, in order to maintain power. The mood of a large chunk of Canadian voters had turned decidedly left, into the arms of the CCF, and that was scary to the powers that be.

Finally paying attention to the aspirations of the "average Canadian voter", was the only way to prevent the collapse of the Liberal minority government. It was a cunning move on the Liberal's part, because not only did it defuse the left, it also resulted in Pearson being considered, by some, as the father of Medicare in Canada, instead of more rightfully, Tommy Douglas and the CCF/NDP....and it also maintained the devine right of kings.*BG*

Medicare in Canada was achieved in stages and universal coverage across the country was achieved in 1972 under Trudeau, long after Peason retired.

Also, the CCF ceased to exist when it became a founding component of the NDP in 1961. Lester Pearson became prime minister in 1963.