Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for this excellent motion. The Green Party has long supported adding a dental care program to our universal health care system. It is so important that we take care of people's teeth. Why exclude this part of a person's body from health care?
The hon. member outlined a number of savings and benefits to the economy from having a dental program like this. I wonder if he could speak about the health benefits and other implications. When people have problems with their teeth, we know it affects their health in other ways, and I wonder if the member could speak to that issue.