Lester B. Pearson

Pearson's government secured the 1966 Medical Care Act, creating federal cost-sharing for provincial insurance of physicians' services. The scheme came into force in 1968, after he left office, and built on provincial experiments and the Hall Commission's recommendations. His contribution illustrates national expansion through funding conditions rather than direct federal delivery: provinces administered care, while a shared financing framework helped turn separate initiatives into a wider entitlement.