Health Committee on March 12th, 2026

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

That's right. On October 17, there was a change that adjusted the laboratory fees.

[Shalene Curtis-Micallef]

It was October 17. I must check this, but I think that, as part of the changes to the program, we held consultations with dentists and others.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

Can you reply in writing and give us the details, please?

[Shalene Curtis-Micallef]

Yes, I can cetainly do that.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

Thank you.

Do you feel that any internal analysis justified that decision? Can you send it to the Committee?

[Shalene Curtis-Micallef]

We can provide you with all the information we used in establishing the amounts.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

Thank you.

Minister, to your knowledge, before that change was introduced, had the department assessed the impact on the patients who had already received approval for a treatment?

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

The patients who had received—

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

On October 17, 2025, the Canadian Dental Care Plan changed the cap on laboratory fees.

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

I know that at one point the laboratory fees were excessive. I believe that the department met with dental associations and with Sun Life and they decided to reduce the amounts. Then, I believe they realized that they were too low. I think that they are now looking at it again.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

We want to understand, so I would like you to send us your deliberations in writing.

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Yes, we will reply in writing.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

I would also like to find out how many patients were affected, according to your internal analysis, if there was any, of course.

To continue, at the last meeting of the Committee, I told you that, according to our information, more than 200,000 Canadians had received a letter advising them that they were not eligible for the Canadian Dental Care Plan. They were eligible to start with but their status then changed. You confirmed that the figure was 300,000.

Of those 300,000 Canadians who received the letter saying they were ineligible, how many lost their coverage? We just want to know. Can the department send those detailed figures to the Committee?

[Shalene Curtis-Micallef]

We can send you data to show how many people are no longer eligible for the dental plan.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

Thank you.

Here is an easier question for you, Minister. Do you know what percentage of dental clinics in Canada currently participate in the Canadian Dental Care Plan?

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

It's 98%.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

Did you say 98%?

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Yes.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

That's good.

Does the government consider that that level of participation is enough to ensure access to care?

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

For a program that started fairly recently, I find it quite positive that 98% of dentists, denturists and all the other oral health professionals are taking part. I am very satisfied.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

Okay.

People are telling me that their clinic is registered with the Canadian Dental Care Plan but that they are not able to book an appointment. So, could you explain how many of those 98% are really able to provide appointments in a reasonable time?

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

The program exists and people have access to the service. I often tell people that, if they do not have a dentist already, they have to get one in order to have access to the service. But with almost seven million people eligible for the plan, some clinics may be more booked-up than others. That is why we also have training programs. We provide money to train more denturists and dentists because we know that we are going to need more and more of them.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

Message received.

Let's move on to another topic. Before the decision was made to close the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's laboratory in Longueuil, not far from where you live, did the government analyze the risks for public health?

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Let me turn to the people from the department.

[Robert Ianiro, Vice-President, Policy and Programs, Canadian Food Inspection Agency]

Thank you, Mr. Chair, for the question. Although we vacated our space in the Longueuil lab, the tests conducted at those labs have been shifted to other laboratories that we have. There are no risks or impacts with the closure of the Longueuil lab. I'll also add, I understand that the current tenant, which is Health Canada, will be taking over the space.