The federal government's dental care program is on track to cost taxpayers more than $18 billion over five years, far exceeding original projections and raising new concerns about Ottawa's spending forecasts.Blacklock's Reporter says senior Health Canada officials told the Senate national finance committee that demand for the Canada Dental Care Plan has significantly outpaced expectations, pushing annual costs toward $4 billion."The original funding profile when the program was approved did ramp up," Ryan Higgs, chief financial officer for the Department of Health, told senators.He noted the government had originally budgeted $2.9 billion for benefits last year before adding another $1.6 billion through supplementary estimates after enrolment and demand exceeded forecasts."What we have seen is there has been pent-up demand that has been greater than we initially anticipated," Health Canada officials previously testified.Higgs said annual benefit costs have now "settled around $4 billion" and are expected to remain near that level for the foreseeable future.The figures do not include approximately $149 million annually in administrative costs related to application verification and eligibility screening."It varies a little bit year over year but it settles at around approximately $4 billion per fiscal year for the Dental Plan benefits," Higgs said..Current approved appropriations for the next five years range between $3.4 billion and $3.9 billion annually, although officials acknowledged those amounts could rise if demand continues to grow.The projected spending represents a sharp increase from earlier estimates.The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated in 2023 that the program would cost $10.1 billion over five years. Former prime minister Justin Trudeau later projected the plan would cost approximately $13 billion during the same period.Based on current spending levels, however, total costs could exceed $18 billion over five years.Sen. Clément Gignac questioned the growing price tag and criticized the government's budget documents for failing to clearly disclose the costs."I remember the minister said it would be $10 billion over the next five years, but $3.4 billion a year seems to run at $16 billion, $17 billion over a five-year period," said Gignac.The Quebec senator also challenged officials to identify where Parliament could find the dental plan's annual spending figures in the Main Estimates."Could you indicate to me in the Main Estimates which page, whether it's the French version, English version, that we can find that $3.4 billion a year?" he asked. "I just can't find it."Higgs acknowledged the frustration, explaining the spending is embedded within broader operating expenditures rather than listed separately."The amount, because it's an operating expenditure item, you won't see a detailed line-by-line split out," he said.Gignac said the lack of transparency was unacceptable given the scale of the spending involved."As parliamentarians we have to approve the spending, and one of the major items which is responsible for a significant increase in your budget is not there and we have just no clue," he said.The Canada Dental Care Plan was introduced as one of the Trudeau government's flagship social programs, providing subsidized dental coverage to eligible Canadians. Officials maintain costs could continue to fluctuate as enrolment expands and demand evolves.
