The grant will provide dental care to 500,000 children between the ages of two and 12 at a cost of close to $1 billion. Earlier this year, the Liberals and New Democrats struck a deal committing the NDP to vote with the minority Liberal government in the House of Commons on confidence votes by June 2025. In return, the government agreed to meet a number of policy benchmarks against length of way. That agreement committed the government to the goal of expanding the dental program to include people under 18 by next year and all eligible Canadians by the end of 2025. “With this benefit, children will have access to the essential dental care they need while we develop a long-term dental care program across Canada,” said Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh meets with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Parliament Hill in Ottawa November 14, 2019. Earlier this year, the Liberals and New Democrats struck a deal committing the NDP to vote with the minority Liberal government until June 2025. In in return, the Liberals committed to the goal of expanding the dental program. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
“Only the first step”
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Thursday he plans to make sure the Liberals follow through on the rest of the deal. “This is just the first step, we will continue to fight to make sure all Canadians have access to comprehensive dental care as part of our health care system,” Singh said in a statement. Starting later this year, children under 12 with a household income of less than $70,000 a year will be able to qualify for $650 a year in dental coverage for the next two years. Children in families with incomes between $70,000 and $79,000 will be able to qualify for $390 per child per year for the next two years. Families with incomes between $80,000 and $89,000 could receive $260 per child per year for the next two years. The government says more details on how and when to apply for the benefit will be released in due course, but parents will be able to apply to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) directly for the benefit, either through the my account” of CRA. or through a CRA contact center. To receive the benefit, parents and guardians must confirm that their child does not have access to private dental care cover and that they will use the benefit to pay for dental services. Applicants will need to demonstrate that they have a child in the eligible age range and that the family income fits into the correct range. Parents are also required to provide the CRA with their employer’s details. People using the program must also provide the CRA with the name of the dentist and the date of the appointment. They must keep their accounts of the work they have done in case the CRA asks them to verify that it has been carried out. Families who provide false information, fail to provide proof or do not use the money for dental care may face a maximum fine of $5,000. The benefit is to cover the cost of dental services, defined in legislation as: “services that the dentist, dentist or dental hygienist is legally entitled to provide, including oral surgery and diagnostic, preventive, restorative, endodontic, periodontal, prosthetic and orthodontic services”. The federal government says it arrived at the annual maximum claim amounts by calculating the cost of various dental services for children. Once a person receives the benefit, they must use it to pay for dental services — but if the services that year cost less than the total amount of benefits, the recipient is not required to pay back the remainder.
