Quebec is backing down and will allow all its health establishments to offer dental care under the federal program.
“We make sure that patients are not the ones paying the price during negotiations. Our priority is to improve access, not the opposite,” the Minister of Health declared Thursday morning on the social network X.
The Press reported last Friday that children, seniors and people with disabilities do not have access to the federal program. The Quebec government considers that this program is an interference in its field of jurisdiction in health matters and prohibits its application in its healthcare establishments. However, patients in private clinics had access to them.
The directive was strongly denounced by dentists across the province.
The Legault government wants to withdraw from the federal program and obtain compensation to improve its own programs. Negotiations with Ottawa are still ongoing.
“Health is a jurisdiction that falls under Quebec, we will continue to defend it and demand the necessary investments from the federal government to improve our existing services,” added Minister Dubé.
The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), which came into force on 1er last May, aims to provide dental care coverage to Canadian residents whose adjusted net family income is less than $90,000 and who do not have access to dental insurance. The plan is currently available to seniors, children and people with disabilities. It will gradually be expanded to all age groups in the coming months.