Federal Budget 2022 Has Dropped The Details On Canada's New Dental Care Program

With the federal budget 2022 comes a plan to implement Canada's new dental care program — which some Canadians will begin to benefit from before the end of the year.

Fulfilling one of the core pledges of the new Liberal-NDP deal, this federal budget includes what's expected to be the first phase of a national dental care program.

Stating that "making life more affordable is one of the government’s primary goals in Budget 2022," the feds confirmed that Canadian families with children under the age of 12 will be able to access the new dental care coverage plan before the end of the year.

To qualify, their income must be less than $90,000 annually.

In 2023, the program will be rolled out to people under the age of 18, seniors and people living with a disability.

By 2025, the feds say the program will be fully implemented.

The budget explains that households earning between $70,000 and $90,000 per year could have co-pays — which is the set fee that can be charged each time a person makes a claim — on their coverage.

However, it says those earning less than $70,000 shouldn’t have to cover the costs.

The budget proposes funding of $5.3 billion over five years for the project, starting in 2022. It's expected to cost $300 million in the first year, increasing in the upcoming years as eligibility is expanded.

The program was one of the key pledges in a recent deal made between Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party and Jagmeet Singh's NDP.

Back in March, a supply and confidence agreement was made to help keep the current government in power until 2025 in exchange for action on a number of key NDP priorities — including national dental care.

Speaking at the time, Singh described the move as "the biggest expansion of health care in a generation" and, per CBC News, said it would make "a massive difference for health and for people's quality of life."

While Singh acknowledged "major progress" in terms of dental care in the 2022 budget, he tweeted that he was disappointed "by the Liberal [government's] failure to tackle the climate crisis and to fund healthcare."

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.