44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 17, 2023 11:00AM
- Apr/17/23 1:14:20 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, in the last federal election in 2021, I campaigned extensively on dental care. I for one am very proud that I am helping force the government to deliver. Last year it was for children under the age of 12. This year it is for children under the age of 18, persons with disabilities and seniors. It is fine if the Conservatives want to vote against those measures.
Once we move toward a full program that is implemented, can the Conservatives commit today to keeping that program in place, or are they going to dismantle it and force low-income families to fend for themselves as is the status quo right now?
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- Apr/17/23 1:26:29 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member will remember, of course, our colleague Jack Harris, who used to be the member of Parliament for St. John's East. In the previous Parliament, he introduced a non-binding motion asking the House to affirm support for dental care for low-income families. At that time, the Liberals voted against it, and I am glad the NDP has pressured them to see the light.
Maybe my hon. colleague can talk about his own personal journey, from being against dental care to now fully supporting it and realizing the important benefits it is going to provide to families, not only in my community but in his as well.
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- Apr/17/23 1:41:40 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the dental care issue is significant. I had a chance to tour St. Clair College, and I want to congratulate Patti France, the first woman president of the college, on her upcoming retirement as well as John Fairley for hosting us.
What became evident was not only the care of patients, but that dental hygienists often have to work two or three different jobs. Some of them do not even have their own coverage. I would like the member to comment on how this can also improve working conditions. They often have to cobble a couple of jobs together, buy hopefully with more patients, some will start their own collectives as businesses and so forth and be able to have longer, stable employment versus having to find work piecemeal, especially when there is a shortage right now.
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- Apr/17/23 1:42:28 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, that was a great question from my colleague from Windsor. I am really grateful for the fact that it was National Dental Hygienists Week when we released the budget. I had the opportunity to sit down with a fairly large group of Canadian hygienists, and we discussed the budget, which was not out at the time, although they were looking forward to it. They were really glad for these investments in dental care, because a lot of things, like the cleanings, the preparation and the lessons young people get on how to floss and brush more effectively, come from dental hygienists.
I appreciate the opportunity to thank dental hygienists today for their extraordinary work and recognize that their working conditions always need to be improved, because they are really the frontline workers for dentists. The member for Windsor West has reminded me that that I am due for a cleaning, so I will make sure to call my dentist after this and book one.
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- Apr/17/23 1:44:02 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Avalon for bringing up an issue that is very near and dear to my heart. At my constituency office in Milton, which is a very busy place, a lot of seniors call to say the threshold for dental care from the province is far too low. Basically, seniors need to be extraordinarily poor before they can access insurance through the province, and that needs to change.
This year, our government, in budget 2023, is committed to broadening the dental care benefit to seniors as well as kids under 18. I think a lot of 17-year-olds would say they are not kids, so I will say people under 18 whose parents are not insured. A number of seniors who have called my office to say they need root canals or minor surgeries are relying on charitable dentists giving them a good deal. This government is stepping up and saying they do not have to rely on charity; they can rely on us.
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- Apr/17/23 2:02:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last week I visited the dental clinic at The Gathering Place, a street-level community centre in St. John's East. This visit held particular significance, as I have spent many years there as a volunteer, board member, fundraiser and executive director. I saw first-hand the connection between oral health and mental and physical well-being: vulnerable older persons, malnourished because oral disease prevented them from a diet other than soft liquids; young people with advanced tooth decay, too embarrassed to smile or enter the workforce; and deaths from self-medicated overdose to relieve oral pain.
The dental program at The Gathering Place was realized through a team of dedicated dentists and hygienists, who donate their time and expertise to ensure that the most vulnerable have access to oral health care. Now, the Canadian dental care plan in budget 2023 will ensure that all Canadians who need to access dental care can.
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- Apr/17/23 4:02:58 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I wanted to raise the issue of dental care, which is encouraging to see in this budget. It will make such a huge difference for people who are struggling with the pain of not being able to fix their teeth. We know that for kids, one of the most common surgeries in pediatric hospitals is dental surgery. However, people with disabilities, seniors and kids under 18 are having to wait until the end of the year, I would like to see people able to fix their teeth now.
In June of 2021, the member voted against dental care when the NDP put this forward as a private member's bill. The Liberals voted against dental care in February of 2020 when we used our opposition day to put forward a motion. I am curious, given the fact that these delays are because—
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- Apr/17/23 4:47:29 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member mentioned at one point in her speech that this budget is “turning a blind eye to the harsh realities” of ordinary Canadians. One of the harsh realities that ordinary Canadians face is the fact that millions of them cannot afford to get their teeth fixed. This is something that my constituents speak to me about on a regular basis. I wonder if the same is true for her constituents. If so, how does she explain to those constituents who cannot afford to visit a dentist, or those who cannot afford to take their kids to the dentist, or the seniors who cannot chew their food that she will be voting against expanding our health care system to include dental coverage?
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- Apr/17/23 5:03:04 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her speech. However, there is a difference between an expenditure and an investment, especially when it comes to investments in people, particularly in our seniors, our elders, who deserve respect.
We in the NDP successfully forced the Liberal government to implement an actual dental program that will cover the bills for seniors who are living in poverty and need dental care. Is the member telling us that she is going to go back to her riding and tell seniors in precarious situations and those living in poverty that she does not want them to get their teeth fixed?
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- Apr/17/23 5:03:40 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, that is absolutely hyperbolic from the NDP. Frankly, the Canadian Constitution is extremely clear that the delivery of health care is the sole jurisdiction of provincial governments. Provinces and territories all across the country have dental programs. Had the federal government wanted to have a well-costed program, it could have worked with provinces and territories to establish a program. Instead, the Liberals are saying what everyone in my constituency is always terrified of, which is, “I am here from Ottawa, and I am here to help.”
Frankly, I do not trust a government that has not been able to figure out how to pay its own employees over the last six years, having not been able to figure out the Phoenix pay centre and paying its own employees, will somehow administer a program this large and be successful. Therefore, no, I am—
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