e-3032 (Health)

In Canada, the provinces and territories are responsible for the design, delivery, and management of health care – including dental care. The Canada Health Act requires the provinces and territories to provide coverage to their eligible residents for medically necessary hospital, physician, and surgical-dental services performed in a hospital, where a hospital is required for the proper performance of the procedure. Beyond those in-hospital services, all provinces and territories provide supplemental programs that provide additional coverage for dental services, at their discretion and on their own terms and conditions. Those programs vary in coverage and are often targeted to specific groups, such as seniors, children, and those receiving social assistance. 

The Government of Canada is aware that many Canadians are without access to needed dental care. That is why the Minister of Health’s 2019 Mandate Letter and the 2019 Speech from the Throne both committed to support Parliament in studying the possibility of national dental care. The results of such a study will be helpful in determining effective action in this area as existing data on dental care needs is limited. Such a study would advise on the most effective approaches to reducing care gaps in access to dental care and on the role the federal government could play in this area. The Government looks forward to supporting Parliament in its work, should it choose to undertake the study.

In the meantime, to address these data gaps, the Government of Canada has partnered with Statistics Canada to design an oral health component for an upcoming cycle of the Canadian Health Measures Survey, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. This work will provide key information to support the development of oral health programs and policies in Canada.

In addition to improving data on dental care, the Federal Government continues to provide coverage for dental care services for certain groups. This includes dental coverage for recognized Inuit and First Nations people through the Non-Insured Health Benefits program and the Children’s Oral Health Initiative (for children up to 7 years of age). In addition, the government provides dental coverage for federal employees, federal retirees, Canadian Armed Forces members, and veterans. The federal government also provides limited dental coverage for federal inmates, and for some newcomers through the Interim Federal Health Program.

Provincial and territorial health care programs, including those with dental coverage, are supported by federal funding through the Canada Health Transfer (CHT). This fiscal year, the Government of Canada will provide $43.1 billion in cash support to provinces and territories through the CHT. This is set to increase each year, in line with the growth rate of the economy, with a minimum increase of at least 3% per year. Over the next five years, CHT funding to provinces and territories is expected to exceed $236 billion. Provinces and territories are free to decide how to allocate these funds in order to address the health care needs of their residents.