Bill C-578 (Historical)

An Act to amend the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act (prescription drug and dental care)

This bill was last introduced in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session, which ended in March 2011.

Sponsor

Don Davies  NDP

Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)

Status

Outside the Order of Precedence (a private member's bill that hasn't yet won the draw that determines which private member's bills can be debated), as of Oct. 6, 2010
(This bill did not become law.)

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament often publishes better independent summaries.

This enactment amends the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act to establish a prescription drug and dental care transfer to provide funding for the purposes of assisting the provinces to provide full prescription drug and dental care to persons who are 65 years old or older and children who are under the age of 12 years.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements ActRoutine Proceedings

October 6th, 2010 / 3:10 p.m.
See context

NDP

Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-578, An Act to amend the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act (prescription drug and dental care).

Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce a bill that would help seniors and young families across the country. I would like to thank the hon. member for Churchill for seconding this legislation.

The bill would provide free prescription and dental care for seniors and children under the age of 12. In my riding of Vancouver Kingsway, too many seniors are forced to choose between paying for medications and paying their rent. Many seniors and young families are unable to afford even basic dental checkups. The bill is an important way to strengthen our public health care system and make life better for those who built our country and those who are our future. It is also an affordable and practical idea to improve the health of seniors and children.

This is an important first step towards a universal prescription and dental care system for every Canadian, part of the original plan for universal medical care envisioned by Tommy Douglas and the New Democratic Party. I look forward to working with my colleagues from all parties to improve our public health care system and make prescription drugs and dental care affordable for Canadian seniors and children from coast to coast to coast.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)