Jagmeet Singh Says The NDP Will Bring Dental To Families Who Make Under 90K A Year
And he says he'll tax the ultra-rich to make it happen.
It was all smiles for Jagmeet Singh at his most recent campaign stop, where the leader of the NDP outlined his plan for universal dental care for Canadians.
Speaking at a press conference in St. John's, Newfoundland, on September 4, Singh said he'd tax the country's wealthiest people in order to immediately subsidize dental care for uninsured families making under $90,000 a year and cover all dental expenses for families earning under $60,000 a year.
Dental care was a key component of Singh's 2019 election platform, and he stressed the importance once again in St. John's.
"If you've got the right job, if you have enough money, you can get your teeth looked after, but for everyone else, they're kind of left high and dry," Singh said.
"Our healthcare system was always intended to include dental care, because we know that there is no separating your dental health from your overall wellbeing [and] your overall health."
To pay for the program — which Singh said would cost $1.5 billion in its first year — the NDP politician said he would make billionaires "pay their fair share" by closing tax loopholes and shutting down offshore tax havens.
In a press release, Singh also said a 1% wealth tax on people earning more than $10 million a year would bring in $11 billion in the first year alone.
"If we get the super wealthy to pay their fair share, we can invest it back into people," Singh said.