Excellent.
I am accompanied by Lynne Tomson, who is the Associate Assistant Deputy Minister.
With inflation rising, Canadians are feeling the pinch. Food, housing and other essentials are all becoming more expensive. That leaves many families making difficult choices about how to spend their money. And sometimes, important expenditures have to be put on hold - including dental care for the kids.
While inflation is a global challenge, the Government of Canada is taking action to make life more affordable for families in this country. We have therefore tabled legislation that proposes a Canada dental benefit to help bridge the gap for families who struggle to pay for dental care for their children. If passed, this interim benefit would be available later this year to eligible families with children under 12.
I believe we all agree that, without a doubt, dental care is essential to maintaining good oral health, but for too many families the cost of care means seeing a dental professional is simply out of reach. Approximately one-third of Canadians do not have insurance to cover dental costs. In 2018, more than one in five Canadians reported that they could not afford dental care. That is roughly seven million people, many of whom are children.
Faced with such difficult financial choices, too many parents have to postpone or forgo important dental care for their children at a time when their teeth are developing. The result can be poor oral health outcomes for some of our youngest children, who can carry the consequences through their childhood and beyond.
That is why we are introducing the Canada dental benefit.
Under this proposed legislation, the benefit would be available for eligible families with children under 12. It would allow these families to access direct payments totalling up to $1,300 per eligible child over a two-year period, up to $650 per year, for dental care services. The benefit would also be tax-free.
To be eligible for the benefit, applicants will have to meet certain criteria. First, they must have a child under 12 years of age in their care who does not have access to private dental care coverage. Second, they will have to provide information about their employer, to help verify whether or not they have access to dental insurance for their child. Third, they must have an adjusted family net income under $90,000 per year. Fourth, they must have filed their most recent tax return. Fifth, they must be the parent or legal guardian who receives the Canada Child Benefit for the eligible child. And sixth, they must have spent, or have a plan to spend, money on dental care expenses for the child that won't be fully reimbursed under another public program.
Parents will be able to apply for the benefit through the Canada Revenue Agency’s My Account, or through their CRA contact centre. If eligible, they will receive a payment up front, which they can use to take their child to the dentist. This will help ensure that families are not out of pocket for dental expenses they cannot afford.
That will eliminate more barriers to access to care and ensure that children do not miss out on dental care at a critical point in their development.
In conclusion, in Canada we believe that costs should not be a barrier to proper health care, including oral health care. If passed, the Canada dental benefit would provide more equitable access to dental care for children so that they can enjoy the benefits of positive oral health.
Our hope is that the proposed legislation will be passed quickly so that individual families can receive the Canada dental benefit in 2022.
Thank you.
