Canada’s Liberal government, along with Conservative MPs, voted against an NDP motion that would provide dental coverage to millions of Canadians who struggle with the cost of dental care.
According to a media release, the NDP proposal would have allowed 6.7 million people in Canada whose household income is less than $90,000 a year to access the dental services they desperately need.
“Young Canadians, seniors, single parents and low-income households that don’t have a dental plan are struggling because they can’t afford dental services,” stated North Island-Powell River MP Rachel Blaney. “By refusing to give these people some help and make dental care more affordable, the government is turning its back on them. The Liberal government has given billions of dollars in subsidies to large corporations and they let companies like Air Canada give their wealthy executives public money that was supposed to go to workers.
“They have plenty of money for huge corporations and the super wealthy, but not for everyday Canadians who need help affording a dentist.”
While one in five Canadians skip visits to the dentist because they can’t afford it, many MPs who refused to support the proposal claimed that it was up to the provinces to fix the situation, the release stated.
