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Volume 3 Issue 5
CDA
at
W
ork
CDA recently commissioned research
to gauge the population’s awareness
of sugar consumption and oral health.
The vast majority (87%) of respondents
mentioned supporting warning labels
on foods and beverages with high
sugar content. “Better information on
sugar content in processed food is likely
to lead to better health decisions. CDA
will continue to advocate on behalf
of the Canadian population, together
with like-minded organizations, to
see such changes happen,” promises
Dr. Raddall. In addition to improved
iterations of Canada’s Food Guide
and nutrition labelling regulations,
CDA supported measures to restrict
marketing of food and beverages with
added sugar to children, similar to the
Quebec Consumer Protection Act
which prohibits advertising directed at
children under the age of 13.
Changes to Small Business
Tax Rate
Many small business owners—
including physicians, lawyers and
dentists—took note of Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau’s election promise to
review the eligibility rules for the small
business tax rate.
The CDA delegates explained to MPs
that dentists are first and foremost
health care providers, focused on the
oral health of their patients. Yet dentists
recognize that they need to organize
their offices as efficient businesses
if they are to provide that care. “We
wanted to explain to parliamentarians
what the Canadian-Controlled Private
Corporation (CCPC) status represents
for dentists,” says Dr. Croutze. This was
echoed by Dr. Raddall: “Most of us are
self-employed small business owners,
meaning that we employ staff and
run a business in addition to providing
oral health care. We wanted to
emphasize that dentists incur significant
startup costs and ongoing financial
responsibilities just like any other small
business owner.”
The CDA delegation also highlighted
the contribution of dental practices
to the Canadian labour market and
economy. “Direct employment in dental
practices is estimated to be more than
80,000, the vast majority of whom
are skilled and trained professionals,”
explains Dr. Croutze, “not to mention
the economic spin-off to the dental and
medical supply industry—virtually all of
our purchasing is done in Canada from
Canadian suppliers.”
CDA representatives discussed the 2017
federal budget with the Honorable
Wayne Easter, chair of the House of
Commons Finance Committee. They
recommended that any review of the
tax system, especially one that would
alter the CCPC framework, only be
undertaken after a comprehensive
consultation with businesses and
professionals who would be affected,
including dentists. Mr. Easter indicated
that most members of the committee
are supportive of the current
regulations regarding small business tax
obligations, and he encouraged CDA
to submit a pre-budget submission to
the committee with recommendations
on how to achieve better economic
growth.
Health Care for Syrian
Refugees
The recent arrival of a large number
of Syrian refugees has put the Interim
Federal Health Program (IFHP) under
considerable strain, and the program’s
shortcomings quickly became evident.
The limited manner in which oral
health is covered under the IFHP
creates challenges for patients and care
providers alike. “The window of services
offered via the IFHP is too narrow to
appropriately treat these patients,” says
Dr. Raddall. “The program limitations are
not in line with accepted best practices
of care. In cases of advanced oral
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