I am a low-income septuagenarian. On February 29, I received a letter from the federal government through which I was able to register for the new dental care program put in place by the federal government. I was delighted, because I have been waiting to see a dentist for a long time. Being low-income, I cannot afford the care I need. However, there is a catch. In Quebec, it risks being terribly complicated, if not impossible, to obtain the promised care.
Why might Quebecers not have access to the free dental care program?
Because the Legault government categorically refuses to work with Ottawa, claiming that this area is only under “provincial jurisdiction”. Hence his excessive demand for financial compensation of equal value, which, more often than not, will be used for something else, if not disappear from the radar as if by magic.
And while I’m there, it comes to mind the $940 million granted to the Legault government by Ottawa last year, a staggering sum intended to help students with loans to repay, but who are It’s gone somewhere. Or exactly ? Who knows ?
It’s even more distressing when we know that several Canadian provinces offer dental care programs not only to social assistance recipients, but also to low-income people, and more particularly to seniors who are income supplement recipients. guaranteed, and has been for a long time! This is the case, for example, in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island. Why couldn’t we have the same thing in Quebec? Are we not, too, Canadians in our own right?
Quebec, a distinct society for toothless seniors
So, you know, when MM. Legault, Dubé, Girard and company tell us that there is an excellent dental care program in Quebec, this is false! Except for social assistance recipients and children aged 9 and under, I repeat, there is no dental care program in Quebec. These are lies, even disinformation! In short, the Coalition Avenir Québec doesn’t give a damn about a dental care program for people in need. As Réjean Parent pointed out to us: “It’s a government of business people who work for business people without worrying too much about citizens in dire straits. »
All this to say, ultimately, that in La Belle Province, where people with a net income of $20,000 or $30,000 per year have absolutely no dental coverage, this program would be more than welcome! At least, while waiting for a real program of free dental care for all. The links between oral health and general health have long been demonstrated. It is time for dental care to be included in the health insurance program.
Will we one day see the light at the end of the tunnel in Quebec thanks to this wonderful dental care program from the federal government, or is it the train of François Legault’s government that we see in the distance and which is heading towards us at full speed, the train of an imaginary third link electrified by beautiful Northvolt batteries?