Dental: Low-income advocate hopes Liberal-NDP deal will bring change

The federal Liberal-NDP supply and confidence agreement includes a slew of actions that both parties have promised to work together to realize, and some of them are being closely watched by advocates.

Those at the Union Gospel Mission in Vancouver say they are happy to hear the deal pushing dental insurance and national pharmacare forward in Canada.

Nicole Mucci, spokesperson for the UGM, says while they are still waiting to see which medications and dental services will be included in such a plan, they are happy the issue is being made a priority.

That’s especially true for the dental care side of things.

“Overall wellness, overall health is intrinsically linked to your dental care and so when teeth rot or they abscess because you don’t have the financial means or the privilege to get them taken care of right away, you’re looking at a cascading effect with your health,” she explained.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who confirmed the deal on Tuesday, says the agreement will allow each party to prioritize shared values and include action on areas such as dental care, climate change, housing, and paid sick leave.

The Liberals and NDP have agreed to prioritize the launch of a new dental care program for low-income Canadians, as well as continue to progress toward a universal national pharmacare program.

The dental program would start with people under the age of 12 this year, then expand to those up to 18, as well as seniors and persons living with a disability in 2023. Full implementation is targeted by 2025.

The universal pharmacare program action would see the passing of a Canada Pharmacare Act by the end of 2023 and then tasking the National Drug Agency to develop a national formulary of essential medicines and bulk purchasing plan by the end of the agreement.

“When somebody who is living on income assistance makes around $600 a month and you’re looking at the cost of a basic root canal being around $1,800 before any sort of coverage — that’s three months of a persons income, their total income,” Mucci said, highlighting the urgent need for action.

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“When you look at a mom who’s got a couple of kids and doesn’t have dental care and one of her children gets a cavity, what kind of sacrifices is she looking at having to make during those times?”

Mucci says she’ll be closely watching the roll out over the coming months, though she is remaining hopeful.

“A person’s smile is a very big of identity and that’s a very psychological aspect that I think people don’t always consider when you talk about dental care,” she told CityNews. “We want all Canadians to be able to have a big smile, to be able to experience joy, and to not worry about whether or not they’re going to be judged if they’ve got pearly whites or not.”