North Island-Powell River MP Rachel Blaney is speaking out on dental care.

Blaney issued a news release stating that 鈥渢his morning (Feb. 2), the NDP tabled a motion in the House of Commons calling on the Liberal government to establish a federal dental care program for Canadian families earning less than $90,000 per year. This would be the first step to a universal dental care program covered in Canada鈥檚 health care system. Good dental health can impact a person鈥檚 entire well-being 鈥� yet consecutive Conservative and Liberal governments have refused to move forward with a national dental care program.鈥�

Blaney noted that she feels healthcare should 鈥渃over us from head-to-toe. I hear it all the time from people in my riding who haven鈥檛 been to a dentist in years because they simply can鈥檛 afford it. We want to ensure people won鈥檛 have to give it a second thought and make dental covered for everyone.鈥�

The release noted that millions of Canadians don鈥檛 visit the dentist every year because 鈥渢hey can鈥檛 afford to. According to a Parliamentary Budget Office report released in October 2020, nearly 6.5 million Canadians would benefit from the NDP鈥檚 proposal, a number that continues to grow as people lose their jobs and dental insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic.鈥�

鈥淧oor dental health can cause pain and hurt a person鈥檚 dignity and even their job prospects. It can also lead to expensive health issues down the road,鈥� added Blaney. 鈥淭his is an example of how we can save money in the long run, by investing in people today.鈥�

editor@northislandgazette.com
Like us on and follow us on