Thomas Shoyama

Infobox Person
name = Thomas Shoyama


caption =
birth_date = 1915
birth_place = Kamloops, BC
death_date = December, 2006
death_place = Vancouver
other_names =
known_for =
occupation = Public Servant
nationality = Canadian

Thomas (Tommy) Shoyama (1915-2006) was a prominent Canadian public servant who was instrumental in designing social services in Canada, especially Medicare.

Early life

Shoyama was born in Kamloops, British Columbia, the son of a shop owner. He graduated from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1939 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Rejected for training as a chartered accountant, Shoyama went to work as a reporter for the Vancouver-based Japanese-Canadian newspaper "The New Canadian", taking over as editor in 1940.

The New Canadian

"The New Canadian" was the sole Japanese-Canadian newspaper to be allowed to continue publishing after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. In 1942, Shoyama was forced to move the offices of the 8-page weekly to the Slocan Valley. Shoyama continued to edit the newspaper until the spring of 1945, when he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Canadian Army's intelligence corps.

Public service

Shoyama left the military in 1946, taking a job in the Saskatchewan public service, where he was one of the architects of the provincial medicare system. Shoyama moved to Ottawa with Tommy Douglas when the latter won the leadership of the New Democratic Party, but was enticed into the federal public service by Pierre Trudeau. Shoyama held several senior positions, eventually becoming deputy minister of finance. He headed Atomic Energy of Canada and worked on the federal Canada Health Act and its provisions for Medicare.

Retirement

Upon his retirement, Shoyama returned to Vancouver and taught as a professor emeritus first at the University of Victoria, then at UBC. [ [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/hdcites/hdcites8.html UBC Archives - Honorary Degree Citations 1981-1988 ] ] He died in Vancouver in December 2006.

References