Hon. Hassan Yussuff moved second reading of Bill C-31, An Act respecting cost of living relief measures related to dental care and rental housing.

He said: Honourable senators, I rise today to begin the debate on Bill C-31, An Act respecting cost of living relief measures related to dental care and rental housing.

Canadians across our country are feeling the effects of the rising cost of living caused by the global inflation. The government has responded with legislation that will quickly provide relief to those who are struggling most. This proposed legislation aims to bridge the gap for Canadian families. If passed, this bill will give an estimated 1.8 million Canadians an extra $500 to cover their rent through a one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit. In addition, the bill creates the “Canada Dental Benefit,” which will provide needed dental care for children under 12 from low- to middle-income families, helping an estimated 500,000 children.

If passed, this legislation will not only help with the immediate effects of rising inflation but be a very good first step to a long‑term Canadian dental-care program.

I will begin my speech by talking about the Canada dental benefit and will finish by talking about the one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit.

Dental care is essential to maintaining good oral health, especially for our youngest children, whose teeth are still developing. Yet, the reality is that professional dental care is out of reach for many Canadian families across this country. Seeing a dental professional can be expensive, and approximately one third of Canadians do not have insurance to cover the costs. This means that many parents have to postpone or forgo important dental care for their children at a time when their teeth are developing.

Unsurprisingly, research has shown that Canadians from low- and middle-income families have worse oral-health outcomes than those from higher-income families. This is the type of health inequality that the bill being introduced here today is trying to mitigate.

In 2018, more than one in five Canadians reported avoiding dental care because of the cost. That is roughly 6.8 million people. The consequences of putting off dental care — or worse, avoiding it completely — can be severe. Left unchecked, dental problems can lead to many health issues, including chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. That, in turn, increases public-health spending in cost-intensive health-care systems such as cardiac, cancer and emergency services.

We heard testimony at the National Finance Committee from Dr. Walter Siqueira, Dean and Professor at the University of Saskatchewan, who warned us about the dangerous health effects of not having proper oral health. It is clear that poor oral health places a significant burden on society as a whole. These direct and indirect costs affect all of us, and we all stand to benefit when we improve access to dental care professionals.

When it comes to children, the stakes are even higher. The consequences of poor oral health in childhood can last a lifetime. Many oral diseases can begin in the preschool years. It may surprise you to learn that tooth decay is actually the most common childhood chronic disease in Canada and around the world. In Canada, the treatment of dental problems is the leading cause of day surgery under general anaesthesia for children under the age of five.

Childhood is also a critical time for establishing good dental hygiene behaviours. Seeing a dental professional during these formative years can be instrumental in developing healthy habits that last throughout one’s life.

There is no doubt that inadequate access to dental care during the critical years has a significant effect on children, and that effect is more pronounced in certain groups. Research data shows that dental diseases are more commonly found among children from low-income families, Indigenous children and children with disabilities or special health-care needs.

It is clear that some Canadian children are falling between the cracks. If we do not act now, those children may have to live with the consequences of poor oral health for the rest of their lives.

It does not have to be that way. With the right care, we can prevent minor dental issues from growing into major ones. For children whose whole lives are ahead of them, the benefits of accessing dental care early are immeasurable.

With that in mind, the proposed Canada dental benefit is designed to help the youngest Canadians first, specifically children under 12 from low-income families who do not have access to private dental insurance coverage. The benefit would provide eligible families with payments of up to $650 per year per child under 12 years of age. The benefit would also be tax-free.

I first want to address the issue of adequacy because I know several senators had questions and concerns about whether $650 per year is enough. I will make two points. First, this program is not to be a replacement or substitute for existing private or public plan coverage. The intent of this interim program is to help ensure that basic oral health care is available to children of low- and middle-income families when they cannot access it through private or public coverage.

How was the $650 amount determined? Health Canada officials, in collaboration with the Chief Dental Officer of Canada, examined average costs of dental care for a range of basic care needs for children, including exams, X-rays, fillings and preventative care like fluoride and sealants. Based on the cost of those basic treatments and measures, they came up with the benefit amount to help fill the gap to ensure basic oral health‑care needs are met for children.

My second point is that the dental benefit program is an interim program, not a long-term solution to children’s oral health-care needs. More in-depth discussions will take place over the next two years between the federal, provincial and territorial governments, along with main stakeholders including dental health-care professionals, to help inform a better and longer-term solution.

If the proposed legislation is passed, eligible families could apply for the Canada dental benefit as soon as later this year.

Health Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency have committed to working together to ensure that Canadians receive their benefit payment as quickly as possible. Parents and legal guardians of eligible children will apply through the Canada Revenue Agency’s My Account or through their contact centres, after which they will receive an upfront payment that will allow them to take their children to the dentist. Money provided through the benefit will be used to cover oral health care services delivered by any regulated, independently practising oral health care provider in Canada.

To qualify for the benefit, applicants will need to meet certain criteria. They must have a child under 12 years of age in their care who does not have access to private dental care. They may be asked to provide information about the employer to help verify whether or not they have access to private dental insurance for their children. They must have an adjusted family net income under $90,000 per year. They must have filed their most recent income tax return. They must be a parent or legal guardian who receives the Canada Child Benefit for eligible children. They must have spent or have a plan to spend money on dental expenses for the child that wouldn’t be fully reimbursed under another public program. They must provide information about the dental care visit and the dental care provider for which the benefit will be used.

Children who are receiving oral health care services through other public programs, such as those provided by provinces and territories or the federal Non-Insured Health Benefits program for First Nations and Inuit, may also be eligible for the Canada dental benefit. However, they would still have to meet the other criteria. Most importantly, they would have to have out-of-pocket expenses that would not be fully reimbursed under these programs.

There have been some questions and concerns raised about whether you must pay up front and then wait for reimbursement. I want to be clear that the money disbursed through the Canada dental benefit would be provided to eligible applicants up front before they access dental care. By providing an upfront payment, the proposed benefit recognizes that many eligible recipients do not have the financial flexibility to wait for reimbursement.

In the case of someone who has paid for care before applying for the benefit, that person could still apply to receive the benefit after the fact, as long as the care was received during the eligible period and was not reimbursed by another program and they are eligible at the time they apply.

The Canada Revenue Agency is well equipped to deliver this program with its extensive secure infrastructure and long-standing experience delivering benefits to Canadians. The agency is also well equipped to guard against fraud and ensure the program is being accessed as intended.

The CRA will take steps to implement additional verification and security measures up front to help ensure benefit payments are deliverable only to individuals who are entitled to receive them in the first place. In some cases, the CRA could request additional information or contact an applicant’s employer or dentist’s office to validate eligibility.

The CRA continues to enhance the security of its digital services to protect Canadians from fraudulent activity. Security features include multi-factor authentication and making email addresses mandatory for those who use CRA’s My Account. The CRA will lean heavily on a range of existing tools for administering other government programs as set out in the draft legislation to conduct compliance, verification and collections activities.

I want to stress that the Canada dental benefit is just a start. This benefit is an interim solution to provide urgent support to those most in need. The benefit would provide immediate financial support to families, allowing them to begin addressing their eligible children’s dental care needs as soon as possible.

While the Canada dental benefit is in place, the Government of Canada will be taking the necessary steps to build a comprehensive, longer-term dental care program. That includes engaging with key stakeholders, such as industry and experts in oral health care delivery.

This past summer, for example, the Minister of Health and the Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada launched a Request for Information with industry representatives. As you know, health care is a shared responsibility between the Government of Canada and the provinces and territories. As always, the Government of Canada recognizes and respects the mandates and jurisdictions of our provincial and territorial partners.

All provinces and territories currently provide some form of supplemental coverage for dental services. These programs vary in scope and may only be available to specific groups, such as seniors, children or those receiving social assistance. But provincial and territorial programs do not cover dental care for children under 12 equally and, in some cases, the programs focus only on emergency needs.

Some children under 12 who are also covered by provincial and territorial programs may still be eligible for the Canada dental benefit if the family meets all the criteria to qualify for the benefit. If a family still has out-of-pocket expenses over and above those covered by the provincial and territorial programs, they can apply for the Canada dental benefit to cover these extra expenses.

For example, in Quebec, their program only covers up to the age of 9 — not 10 years old and not 11 years old — unless the parents are on a social assistance program to access any types of benefits. Additionally, the Quebec program provides no prevention measures such as cleaning for children up to the age of nine.

Our recent experience with the COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated clearly that we can work together on health care priorities. As a result, we know we have the momentum we need to think big and to tackle larger system challenges. By building on the investments made to date and through collaboration across governments, it is my hope that governments will continue to look to find ways to work with their provincial and territorial colleagues to develop a shared vision for the future, one that includes expanded access to dental care.

Canadians deserve a health care system that delivers results, and they expect their governments to work together to deliver value for their tax dollars.

Honourable senators, if passed, this bill will help bridge the gap for hundreds of thousands of Canadian children who cannot afford dental care. It will ensure that all children under the age of 12, no matter where they live, will have access to some dental benefits. The dental benefit act also proposes an interim benefit because we recognize that children whose teeth are still developing must be a top priority.

With this in mind, I would like to speak about timelines. Through Budget 2022, the Government of Canada committed to help the youngest Canadians access dental care before the end of the year. In order for this to happen, the proposed legislation must receive Royal Assent as soon as possible, so I’m urging all honourable senators to support Bill C-31.

As I previously mentioned, Bill C-31 also includes a one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit. It will give Canadians an extra $500 to cover their rent. The Canada Revenue Agency will process the applications and payments on behalf of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion. In other words, it will operate separately from the existing Canada Housing Benefit, which is delivered by the provinces and the territories across the country.

Honourable senators, this one-time payment will have a far-reaching impact. The government estimates some 1.8 million people across the country will receive it, including an estimated 700,000 low-income renters in my province of Ontario.

Is this benefit meant to be a long-term solution for the affordable housing challenges we face in our country? Absolutely not. This short-term benefit is meant to deal directly with the short-term problem of rising inflation that is disproportionately hurting low-income renters.

According to the October report from Rentals.ca, the average rent is now about $100 more than the pre-pandemic peak level in the fall of 2019. The $500 rental benefit will help cover some of this increase over the short term, but I think we can all agree that more needs to be done in the long term to help Canadians deal with housing affordability.

We have already heard the broad strokes of the one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit. Now, I’d like to spend some time answering some of the questions that my colleagues on all sides of the Senate may have.

First, let me explain who is eligible for the benefit. Individuals will be eligible if they have completed their 2021 tax return and if, based on the return, they have an adjusted net income below $20,000, or below $35,000 for families.

To be eligible, people must be residents in Canada for tax purposes in 2022. Their principal residence must be situated in Canada on the latter of December 1, 2022, or on the day the act is in force. They must have paid rent for their own shelter in Canada in 2022, and paid at least 30% of their adjusted net income on rent.

People must apply for the benefit via the Canada Revenue Agency’s, or CRA, secure My Account portal, or by calling the CRA contact centre.

The government expects that people can apply for the one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit by the end of 2022, and their application period will be open for 120 days. To ensure Canadians get the benefit as soon as possible, the government will encourage applicants to sign up for direct deposit, which can be done through the CRA My Account secure portal, or through many Canadian financial institutions.

Those applicants who are eligible, and who have signed up for direct deposit, will receive their payment quickly — in five business days. Those who haven’t signed up for direct deposit can expect to receive their payment by cheque within 10 to 15 business days.

Your Honour, some people might be worried that this benefit will impact other benefits they rely upon. I can assure them that the nature of the one-time payment of $500 would mean that this is non-reportable from an income tax perspective. It will not reduce their other income-tested benefits, such as the Canada workers benefit, the Canada Child Benefit, the Goods and Services Tax credit and the Guaranteed Income Supplement. Our government will work with the provinces and territories to ensure the benefits they administer will not be negatively impacted by this benefit.

Your Honour, the government designed this benefit so that it will make a difference for the families who need it the most — without creating more inflationary pressures on housing costs. That is because this relatively modest, one-time payment is paid directly to low-income renters.

We know that many homeowners are also struggling to make ends meet, but in this legislation I believe the government is taking a targeted approach by focusing, specifically, on the renters’ households where this investment can have the most impact. That is because research shows that renters are four times more likely to experience core housing needs than homeowners.

Your Honour, I conclude with this last important point: The one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit is only one of the measures in the tool kit of solutions addressing housing affordability. We know that reaching housing affordability calls for a significant investment over the long term. It calls for a comprehensive plan that benefits all Canadians, no matter where they live along the housing continuum in this country. This plan exists; it includes measures to put Canada on the path to doubling housing construction over the next decade. It will help Canadians save for and buy their first home. And it will ban foreign ownership and curb speculation, both of which make housing more expensive for Canadians.

Central to the plan is Canada’s National Housing Strategy. This 10-year strategy, backed by more than $72 billion in investments, is making a real difference in the lives of Canadians, and the strategy keeps expanding to address housing affordability from every angle.

Your Honour, I trust I have been able to clear up some of the most pertinent questions about the one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit. In conclusion, I know that Canadians are counting on all of us to deliver what they are asking for and what they deserve, including safe, adequate and affordable housing — an affordable place to call home.

No child should have to suffer poor oral health simply because their family does not have the means to pay for dental care. Painful dental problems do not have to be part of childhood — not when professional dental care is widely available in this country.

I hope we can all agree that every Canadian who needs medical care should get it, regardless of their ability to pay. A Canadian seeing their dentist should be no different. Canadian families in need have waited too long to access essential care for their children. This legislation has the potential to make a powerful difference in the lives of children — and the adults they will eventually become. By acting now, to ensure better access to dental care for our youngest Canadian citizens, we are investing in the health of the whole cohort of Canadians. There can be no doubt that such an investment will pay dividends for many years to come.

I hope we can count on colleagues from all sides of the Senate to support this bill and the much-needed financial relief this bill will provide for those who need it the most. Thank you kindly.

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