When trying to change the power structure, it is crucial to choose political candidates and organizations truly dedicated to your goals. The trappings of power are very enticing. An outsider candidate, once elected, might think it’s more rewarding to compromise with the current power structure for modest change, and gain a personal place in the hierarchy, than fight doggedly for several years for real reform.

The Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) was a left-wing political party that emerged in rural western Canada during the Great Depression. The party won control of Saskatchewan’s provincial government in the 1940s. While in power, the CCF created the government-run single-payer health insurance system, which was soon adopted nationwide. The CCF is the source of Canada’s universal health-care system.