Volume 9 • 2022 • Issue 3

Dr. AaronBurry, interimCEOof theCanadianDental Association, answered questions in early May 2022 about federal dental care. Q Can you give us a broad overview of what’s happened on the federal dental care front in the last fewmonths? Dr. Aaron Burry (AB): For many years, CDA has been advocating for the federal government to improve the oral health of Canadians and increase access to dental care for those who need it most. Indeed, in February, we submitted several recommendations to Finance Canada, including that the federal government invest $600 million over the next 5 years in transfers to provinces and territories to support the maintenance and expansion of their publicly funded dental care programs, particularly those serving vulnerable populations. Then, on March 22, 2022, the federal government announced a federal dental program to provide care for low-income Canadians as part of a new Liberal‑NDP supply-and-confidence agreement. We were surprised by the timing of the announcement, but a significant investment in access to care is something that we’ve been hoping for and we’ve done a lot of preparation in anticipation of an opportunity like this. Right away, we started to reach out to members of the federal government to share the expertise and information that we’ve marshalled as well as recommendations on how an investment like this could be used for the greatest good. Q What details has the federal government shared publically about the proposed program? AB: On April 7, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, released Budget 2022: A Plan to Grow Our Economy and Make Life More Affordable . The budget proposes funding of $5.3 billion over five years to Health Canada to provide dental care for low-income Canadians, with ongoing funding of $1.7 billion annually in year six and beyond. At this point, the federal government has said that it intends to provide dental care for Canadians with family incomes of less than $90,000 annually, starting with children under 12, expanding to people under 18, seniors and persons living with a disability in 2023, with full implementation by 2025. CDA is looking forward to further collaboration and consultation with the federal government to make sure this new investment has a significant impact on Canadians’ oral health. Q What is CDA’s reaction to Budget 2022 and the investment into dental care? AB: First and foremost, we support any effort to improve access to dental care for those who need it most. Dr. Aaron Burry Q&A: Federal Investment in Dental Care 9 Issue 3 | 2022 | CDA atWork