Volume 9 • 2022 • Issue 4

Days on the Hill 2022 CDA Returns to Parliament Hill Days on the Hill, CDA’s annual advocacy event, was held from May 9 to 13, 2022. This year’s delegation, led by CDA staff, board members and volunteer dentists on CDA’s Advocacy Committee, held meetings with cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament (MPs), Senators and senior political officials including Jean-Yves Duclos, the Minister of Health, Jagmeet Singh, leader of the NDP, Candice Bergen, leader of the CPC, Seniors Minister Kamal Khera, and more. “Through our annual Days on the Hill event, CDA is able to work with officials who influence decision-making within the federal government and advocate for the oral health of Canadians,” said Dr. Lynn Tomkins, CDA president. O ver 30 meetings were held this year, primarily online but some in-person meetings took place on Parliament Hill, the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s meetings took on added importance after the federal government announced in March 2022 its intention to invest $5.3 billion in enhancing access to dental care over the next five years. CDA welcomes this financial commitment but emphasized the need to stabilize and enhance the funding for existing provincial and territorial dental programs, which can serve communities and groups such as children, Buoyed by the new federal dental care announcement, this year’s Days on the Hill meetings were marked by a strong enthusiasmanda gooddoseof aspiration. 13 Issue 4 | 2022 |