MP Taylor Bachrach, NDP take a victory lap on the successful delivery of Dental Care Plan in House of Commons

The NDP which has long advocated for a National Dental Care plan for Canadians have celebrated the announcement of the launch of the program yesterday,  the initiative available for Seniors first who are over 87 years of age, with a timeline to the start of 2025 for full participation of all Canadians.

Today, the Government of Canada announced the details of the upcoming roll-out of the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), a significant milestone for the health and well-being of people in Canada. 

Once fully implemented, the CDCP will help ease financial barriers to accessing oral health care for up to nine million uninsured Canadian residents with an annual family income of less than $90,000. 

 To meet anticipated demand and ensure a smooth onboarding process, the CDCP will be rolled out using a phased approach over the coming months, starting with seniors. 

Applications will first open for seniors aged 87 and above in December 2023, expanding in phases to those aged 77 to 86 in January 2024, followed by those aged 72 to 76 in February 2024, then those aged 70 to 71 in March 2024. 

Individuals in these age groups who may be eligible will receive letters inviting them to apply, with instructions on how to validate their eligibility and apply by telephone.

The full background to the launch can be reviewed through the Government of Canada introduction page here.

For Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Taylor Bachrach and his NDP colleagues, it's been a marathon run to get the program to the finish line.

The MP noting of the years of work that have gone into the advocacy from the NDP to see the program put in place. 

As well as the recalcitrance of both the Governing Liberals and Opposition Conservatives through that period of time.

“I’m proud that after years of hard work, we’ve managed to force the government’s hand and make public dental care a reality for millions of Canadians.  Every person in northwest BC deserves to be able to get their teeth fixed without having to worry about the cost, but for a lot of people in our region, that hasn’t been their reality 

While the Liberals have dragged their feet on this issue for years and the Conservatives continue to vote against helping families with dental costs, the NDP has never stopped working to help families access the care they need. Uninsured families will no longer have to put off necessary dental work because they can’t afford the costs.” 

The MP noted today, that during the course of the interim Canada Dental Benefit 650 children in the riding received dental care from that temporary measure, the volume of families and other set to benefit from the National program on that will see such numbers grow.

As part of the NDP's focus today, they highlighted the focus that the plan brought to the House of Commons following its introduction.

The MP notes that if any residents of Skeena-Bulkley Valley need assistance in signing up for the program they can contact his Northwest constituency offices for assistance, in Prince Rupert that office is located in the Ocean Centre mall, a shared space with MLA Jennifer Rice.

More on the roll out of the program is available through the MP's social media stream.

More notes related to the work of the MP in the House of Commons can be explored here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.