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House Hansard - 112

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 18, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 112 - Oct/18/22
Mr. Irek Kusmierczyk (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Lib.)
  • Oct/18/22 11:37:27 p.m.
  • Watch
  • Re: Bill C-31 
Madam Speaker, today I am proud to speak to the government’s plan for making life more affordable for hard-working Canadians through Bill C-31, an act respecting benefits in relation to dental care. I will begin my remarks by reminding the House why this legislation is necessary. More and more Canadians are feeling the rising costs of living. From food and rent to many other aspects of our daily lives, living standards are becoming more and more challenging to maintain. While inflation is a global challenge brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and exacerbated by Russia’s illegal and criminal invasion of Ukraine, it is critical for our government to help families weather the storm by putting more money back in the pockets of Canadians. Since 2015, our government has cut taxes for the middle class and raised them on the wealthiest 1%. We have delivered a Canada child benefit and raised it every year to continue putting more money back in the pockets of nine out of 10 families with children. Our government is working hard to make Canadian lives more affordable and ensure that they have access to support when they need it most. That is why we are proposing Bill C-31, which would deliver over $900 million to support oral health through the Canada dental benefit, starting in 2022-23 for children under the age of 12 without dental insurance. We are introducing this bill because we know the cost of dental care can be difficult for many families. This means parents have to make difficult choices to postpone or forgo important dental care for their children at a time when their teeth are developing. In my community of Windsor-Essex, one in four residents do not have dental insurance. The results should surprise no one. In a 2018 report by the local health unit, the percentage of children with decay or requiring urgent care increased by 51%. In each year, there are 1,000 emergency room visits for oral health problems. These preventable emergency room visits cost our community over $500,000 each year. This dental program will be transformative for my community. The gap in dental coverage is not just a Windsor—Tecumseh problem. Dental surgery under general anaesthesia is the most common day surgery at most pediatric hospitals in Canada, accounting for one-third of all day surgeries performed on children between the ages of one and five. About 57% of children aged six to 11 have had a cavity, with an average of 2.5 teeth affected by decay. In more severe cases, tooth decay in young children is an infectious disease that can cause pain, interfere with sleep and growth, and cause lifelong impacts on their general health. Giving Canadian families the means to improve their children's oral health through the Canada dental benefit will mean those children will have access to the care they need to improve their health and quality of life. It will reduce the need for more invasive and costly treatments later on. The benefit proposed in this legislation would help break the cycle of poor oral health for the youngest and most vulnerable Canadians by making access to dental care for children more affordable. The Canada dental benefit would provide direct payments to eligible applicants, totalling up to $650 per year, and it is estimated that over 500,000 Canadian children could benefit from this targeted investment of over $900 million. To access the benefit, parents and guardians of eligible children would need to apply through the Canada Revenue Agency and attest that their child does not have access to private dental care coverage, that they will have out-of-pocket dental care expenses for which they will use the benefit and not be fully reimbursed under another government plan, and that they understand they will need to provide documentation to verify out-of-pocket expenses incurred within the benefit period. This could include providing receipts to the Canada Revenue Agency. The government will be taking action to ensure that eligible Canadians receive the benefit as quickly as possible, ideally as early as this year if our Conservative colleagues co-operate. I certainly hope they do. The target implementation date for the Canada dental benefit is December 1, 2022, pending parliamentary approval and the royal assent of enabling legislation. The program would cover expenses retroactive to October 1, 2022, so long as the child remains eligible on December 1. Making life more affordable is one of our government's primary goals. Looking after the health of Canadians is another top priority. This dental plan addresses both. In budget 2022, the government committed $5.3 billion over five years, and $1.7 billion ongoing, to provide dental care for Canadians who otherwise could not afford it. In addition to the Canada dental benefit, the government is working diligently to design and implement a long-term national dental care program, but this is complex work that will take time. It will take time to get it right. The government is committed to working with key stakeholders, industry partners, academics, dentistry associations and organizations to help inform decisions on implementing a national dental care program. In the meantime, the proposed Canada dental benefit would provide parents with children under 12 with financial support to help address the dental care needs of their children. I trust that all members will agree and join us in supporting this bill that will help families in my riding of Windsor—Tecumseh and also across this country. The government understands that parents want to do what is best for their children and that financial barriers should not prevent them from accessing the necessary dental care their children require. Passing this bill would be an important step toward protecting the oral health of children throughout Canada.
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Context: House Hansard - 112 - Oct/18/22
Mr. Irek Kusmierczyk
  • Oct/18/22 11:45:06 p.m.
  • Watch
  • Re: Bill C-31 
Madam Speaker, a lot of the members here have been dancing around this issue and providing complicated questions and answers, but the issue to me is quite simple. One in four residents in my community do not have dental insurance. As a result, what we are seeing every year is an increasing severity of oral health deterioration among children. This dental health benefit will address both of those issues. I think this issue is quite simple.
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