Under an early 2022 agreement with the NDP, the federal Liberal government agreed to roll out public dental care coverage to children and low to medium-income adults. That commitment is now another step closer to becoming a reality. Canada's proposed 2023 budget calls for the expansion of dental care coverage to all uninsured households with under $90,000 in annual income.
But Quebec is already signalling its disapproval of the federal program.
Under the budget proposal, the government would spend $17.4 billion over five years to bring Health Canada-administered dental coverage to residents under that $90,000 income threshold. Households with annual income under $70,000 would further pay no co-pays. Officials plan to start rolling out coverage "by the end of 2023," pending the adoption of the budget in Parliament.
This news follows the launch of Canada Dental Benefit (CDB) applications in December 2022. That program is expected to cover around 500,000 children under 12 in under-$90,000 households.
The 2023 budget also outlines plans for a separate Oral Health Access Fund for "targeted measures to address oral health gaps among vulnerable populations."
According to federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, the new Canadian Dental Care Plan "will mean no Canadian, ever again, will need to choose between taking care of their teeth and paying the bills at the end of the month."
Quebec is less enthusiastic.
The Quebec government has long called on the federal government to increase its health care fund transfers to the provinces.
"The federal government should finance its just part in health before adding sums for dental care," Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard wrote on Twitter.
