Is it time to provide universal dental-care to all Quebecers?
The federal government's new dental-care legislation tabled Tuesday is prompting questions about oral health access in Quebec ahead of the election.
If granted royal assent, Bill C-31 would curb dental costs for the children of families who earn less than $90,000 a year.
A similar setup already exists in Quebec for children under 10 and families on welfare. But with a provincial election around the corner, some wonder if it's time to provide universal dental care for all Quebecers.
"It needs to be more accessible and better covered," said Lauréanne Dussault-Desrochers of the MQRP, a group of Quebec doctors that advocate for public health.
She said the first step should be providing care for seniors and all children under 18.
"There are many consequences on their health but also on their dignity."
Seniors are particularly vulnerable to dental problems and often don't have the means to pay for advanced care.
"The vast majority of seniors have lost their teeth either partially or completely," explained seniors advocate Gisele Daoust.
Only a third of adult Quebecers have access to private dental insurance, she explained.
Low income families are less likely to pay for dental care, leaving them vulnerable to long-term health problems.
The Pointe-Saint-Charles Community Clinic wants to take the fight to the political level and is asking parties to commit to providing better coverage if elected.
So far, Quebec solidaire has proposed a comprehensive plan for seniors and children under 18, with partial coverage for working adults.
The Parti Quebecois is making a similar promise, but the Conservative party, Liberals and Coalition Avenir Quebec have yet to announce specific programs improving Quebec's dental coverage.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.