With a federal election just months away, the future of two of the Liberal government’s signature social programs – dental care and pharmaceutical care – is unclear.
Two-thirds of Canadians who will be covered by the new national dental insurance program are not yet eligible. The federal government has also not yet signed a single agreement with the provinces and territories that would allow Ottawa to pay for contraceptives and diabetes medications.
“Nothing is guaranteed. We are in a volatile situation,” Federal Health Minister Mark Holland acknowledged last week.
“I will be relentless to make sure we finish,” he said. “I don’t think we need a lot of time to do it. We need a little more.”
But the Netherlands is running out of time to carry out both programs, and the three main opposition parties have vowed to topple the Liberal government with a vote of confidence as early as March, triggering a federal election.
With Parliament prorogued and uncertainty surrounding the next federal government, the future of the national dental and pharmaceutical care programs is up in the air.
Right now, the Canada Dental Care Plan is helping pay the cost of dental work for three million seniors, children and Canadians who receive the disability tax credit. The program was scheduled to expand earlier this year to eligible adults ages 19 to 64, or six million more people. That hasn’t happened yet and Health Canada hasn’t provided any details about when it will happen.
“I want this done,” Holland said.
Pharmaceutical care legislation passed last fall laid the groundwork for Ottawa to begin covering the cost of contraceptive and diabetes medications and devices. Holland said negotiations with provinces and territories to sign agreements to make that a reality are going “exceptionally well.”
But so far only a memorandum of understanding has been reached with British Columbia. Not a single agreement has been signed.
“I’m very excited and confident that we can do it,” Holland said. “I think there will then be an option for Parliament… Will we have a little more time to close all the pharmaceutical deals?”
The NDP will not give the Liberals any more time
Peter Julian, NDP health critic and House leader, said his party will not give the Liberals any more time.
“All it takes is will on the part of this Liberal government,” Julian said.
The New Democrats supported the Liberals for more than two years through a confidence and supply agreement, in exchange for the Trudeau government introducing social programs, including public national dental and pharmaceutical care plans.
Julian said that although Parliament may be prorogued, MPs have already approved legislation and billions of dollars in funding to complete both programmes. That means there’s nothing stopping the Netherlands from expanding dental care and reaching pharmaceutical deals now, Julian said.
“All the tools are there for this Liberal government to implement things immediately, and we say there is no excuse to delay this,” he said.
Julian said he is worried the Conservatives will cut both programs if they form government in the next election.
Conservatives remain silent on their plans
The Conservative Party did not respond to multiple requests for comment from CBC News.
Conservatives have openly criticized the dental and pharmaceutical care plans, but have never said whether they would keep, change or cancel the programs if they won the next election.
Social programs tend to survive changes in government, according to Dr. Carlos Quiñonez, a dental public health expert at Western University in London, Ontario.
He points to universal health care and Canada’s employment insurance as examples.
“With respect to social and health services, historically once these programs are in place, they tend to be maintained even with changes in government,” Quiñonez said.
“Once you give something to someone, it’s very difficult to take it away from them. And I think that political calculation continues.”
“The question, however, is what they will look like once a new government… is in place.”
A Nova Scotia dentist who has long advocated for universal, public dental insurance says he’s worried dental care won’t survive if all nine million eligible Canadians aren’t signed up before the election.
“I absolutely believe this program is at risk of being eliminated,” said Dr. Brandon Doucet.
Doucet said taking dental insurance away from people who desperately need it would be “incredibly cruel.”
“I’ve seen dozens of times people try to pull out their own teeth with pliers, and I’m left trying to dig out what’s left,” he said.
