Adriana LaGrange, Alberta’s Minister of Health, expressed her province’s intention to opt out of the newly introduced Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), as reported in a late June Op-Ed.
The federal government officially launched the $13 billion CDCP on May 1 to provide dental coverage to Canadians who do not have dental insurance and have adjusted family net incomes below $90,000. The plan aims to progressively extend coverage to all eligible Canadians by 2025.
LaGrange: The CDCP is confusing
LaGrange criticized the CDCP, citing confusion and duplication due to Alberta’s longstanding publicly funded dental coverage, which has supported 500,000 Albertans, including seniors, low-income families, and children with disabilities since 1973.
“The Premier and I have written to our federal counterparts to inform them of our decision to opt out of the federal dental care program by 2026,” LaGrange stated.
“Over the next two years, my ministry will collaborate with the federal government to identify areas for potential expansion within our existing programs and negotiate an agreement on enhancing our coverage.”
100,000 Albertans joined CDCP
Matthew Kronberg, press secretary for federal Health Minister Mark Holland, said that over 100,000 Albertans have enrolled in the CDCP, highlighting its importance. However, LaGrange pointed out that many of these enrollees are seniors already covered under Alberta’s existing program.
While Alberta plans to eventually take over administration of the CDCP, the minister urged current CDCP participants to continue using the federal program until 2026.
“By that date, we aim to have successfully expanded our programs to provide coverage to all those that qualify for the CDCP on top of the 100,000 vulnerable Albertans that our programs cover that the CDCP does not.”
Meanwhile, Premier Danielle Smith has previously indicated Alberta’s desire to negotiate to receive the federal funding allocated to the province, allowing for more flexible administration of dental care services. In a June 26 tweet, Smith criticized the federal program as “inferior,” “wasteful,” and infringing upon provincial jurisdiction.
Alberta already has the most extensive, publicly funded dental coverage in Canada benefiting over 500,000 Albertans.
The new federal program is inferior, wasteful and infringes on provincial jurisdiction; therefore, I have sent this letter to our Prime Minister requesting our… pic.twitter.com/2NS54jqBq4
— Danielle Smith (@ABDanielleSmith) June 26, 2024
Since its launch, the CDCP has begun covering seniors aged 70 and older, with recent expansions in late June to include adults with a valid disability tax credit certificate and children under 18.
