The department of Finance requested the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) not make in-house data about a federal dental care program available to the public. . DentistNo attribution required .The PBO asked for information regarding the cost and extent of the plan, which was promised to be implemented by 2025, according to Blacklock’s Reporter..“We respectfully request that you do not disclose the data publicly or share it outside of your organization,” the department wrote in a May 19 letter to the PBO. No reason was given..Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux requested all the information about the dental care plan..“I am requesting the eligibility criteria, details on the types of procedures covered and co-payment rates that were used to cost the new Canadian dental care plan measure in Budget 2023 and a description of any relevant assumptions such as inflation indexation of income levels, plan administration costs, et cetera,” wrote Giroux..According to a PBO report on March 22, 2022, the program's estimated cost is projected to be $4.6 billion per year by 2025..“We estimate that close to 6.5 million Canadians will benefit from the proposed program during the first year,” wrote analysts..Cabinet in a 2022 Supply and Confidence Agreement with New Democrats promised to launch “a new dental care program for low-income Canadians that would start with under 12-year olds in 2022 then expand to under 18-year olds, seniors and persons living with a disability in 2023 then full implementation by 2025.”.The program's initial phase, which was implemented Oct. 1, provided tax-free annual grants of $650 to parents of children under 12 in households with incomes below $70,000. Reduced grants were provided in incremental amounts for households earning less than $90,000..“The federal program is simply a program to pay people’s bills,” New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters at the time. .“It’s going to pay the cost of dental care.”.“This is a stop-gap measure before we roll out the full program,” said Singh. .“The full program is comprehensive coverage to make sure people get the care they need.”.“This is what working constructively is all about,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier told reporters. .“Parties need to work together. That’s what a minority government means.”.Cabinet's 2023 Budget proposed by December 31 to expand the program to family members of all ages in households earning under $90,000. .The PBO estimated 32% of Canadians or 12 million people had no dental insurance, though half earned more than the $90,000 income threshold.
The department of Finance requested the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) not make in-house data about a federal dental care program available to the public. . DentistNo attribution required .The PBO asked for information regarding the cost and extent of the plan, which was promised to be implemented by 2025, according to Blacklock’s Reporter..“We respectfully request that you do not disclose the data publicly or share it outside of your organization,” the department wrote in a May 19 letter to the PBO. No reason was given..Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux requested all the information about the dental care plan..“I am requesting the eligibility criteria, details on the types of procedures covered and co-payment rates that were used to cost the new Canadian dental care plan measure in Budget 2023 and a description of any relevant assumptions such as inflation indexation of income levels, plan administration costs, et cetera,” wrote Giroux..According to a PBO report on March 22, 2022, the program's estimated cost is projected to be $4.6 billion per year by 2025..“We estimate that close to 6.5 million Canadians will benefit from the proposed program during the first year,” wrote analysts..Cabinet in a 2022 Supply and Confidence Agreement with New Democrats promised to launch “a new dental care program for low-income Canadians that would start with under 12-year olds in 2022 then expand to under 18-year olds, seniors and persons living with a disability in 2023 then full implementation by 2025.”.The program's initial phase, which was implemented Oct. 1, provided tax-free annual grants of $650 to parents of children under 12 in households with incomes below $70,000. Reduced grants were provided in incremental amounts for households earning less than $90,000..“The federal program is simply a program to pay people’s bills,” New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters at the time. .“It’s going to pay the cost of dental care.”.“This is a stop-gap measure before we roll out the full program,” said Singh. .“The full program is comprehensive coverage to make sure people get the care they need.”.“This is what working constructively is all about,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier told reporters. .“Parties need to work together. That’s what a minority government means.”.Cabinet's 2023 Budget proposed by December 31 to expand the program to family members of all ages in households earning under $90,000. .The PBO estimated 32% of Canadians or 12 million people had no dental insurance, though half earned more than the $90,000 income threshold.
