News
Canada’s dental-care benefit becomes law
|
|
Canada will soon have its first form of national dental care coverage, now that legislation implementing a benefit program for children under the age of 12, has passed.
On Thursday, the bill bringing in the dental benefit for lower-income families—known as Bill C-31— received Royal Assent and has become law.
Brought forward alongside a benefit for low-income renters, the dental benefit was an initiative sparked by an agreement between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.
The government has set a “target date” of Dec. 1 to open up the program for applications.
Ahead of that, here’s exactly what the “Canada Dental Benefit” includes, and how it will work.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
For now, the benefit will be offered to children under the age of 12, with an annual family income of less than $90,000.
According to the government, this benefit would provide payments up to $650 per child per year, depending on family income.
For example:
- $650 would be provided per child if the family’s adjusted net income is under $70,000;
- $390 would be provided per child if the family’s adjusted net income is between $70,000 and $79,999; and
- $260 would be provided per child if the family’s adjusted net income is between $80,000 and $89,999.
The amount offered is the government’s “best calibration” of how much funding is needed to cover basic dental care—exams, cleanings, X-rays, and fillings— without much left over, according to government officials who briefed reporters on the program in September.
Should parents have excess funds, the hope is they would be put towards other dental-care needs, but there will not be a requirement to return any outstanding funding.
The program would cover expenses retroactive to Oct. 1, 2022.
The Liberals estimate that 500,000 Canadian children would be eligible to have some of their dental care covered under this plan, and are vowing that receiving this benefit will not reduce any pre-existing federal income-tested benefits such as the Canada Child Benefit.
HOW WILL IT WORK?
The first phase of dental care will provide eligible parents or guardians with “direct, up-front tax-free payments to cover dental expenses.” However, in order to access the benefit, parents or guardians need to apply through the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and attest that:
- Their child does not have access to private dental care coverage;
- They will have out-of-pocket dental care expenses for which they will use the benefit; and
- They understand they will need to provide receipts to verify out-of-pocket expenses occurred if required.
Applicants can submit to receive this financial support ahead of appointments, but will have to provide proof of eligibility such as contact information for the dental service provider, date of the appointment, and information related to their employer and spouse or partner related to their benefit coverage.
The now-passed bill sets up a process for bureaucrats to check this information, and there could be penalties for those who submit fraudulent claims.
“Health Canada and the CRA are collaborating closely on an application platform that would deliver payments in a timely fashion. Further details on how and when to apply for the Benefit will be communicated in due course,” said the government in a statement when the plan was first detailed.
HOW DID THIS COME TO BE?
The bill bringing this attestation-based plan alongside a benefit for renters into effect was one in a pair of affordability-focused pieces of legislation that the Liberals tabled on the first day of the fall sitting on Sept. 20.
Bill C-31 passed the House of Commons and was sent to the Senate on Oct. 27, with the support of the NDP.
Making a dental-care plan a reality was a core pledge of the Liberal-NDP confidence-and-supply deal. This initial step allowed the Liberals to meet their commitment of ensuring eligible children under 12 receive the dental care they need, before the end of 2022.
The Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois voted against the plan to enact the dental and rental benefits.
“Families are having to decide whether to pay for dental care for their kids or pay their bills. No one should have to deal with the pain or lifelong damage of going without dental care,” said Singh in a statement. “Families will very soon be able to apply to get their kids teeth fixed. And this is just the first step, we’re going to keep fighting to make sure all Canadians can access comprehensive dental care as part of our healthcare system.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
While only those under 12 years old will get first access, the government says it remains committed to following through on seeing this stop-gap measure become a fully-fledged national dental care plan.
The Liberals have promised that the program will expand to under-18-year-olds, seniors, and people living with a disability in 2023.
By 2025, it would be available to all Canadian families with incomes of less than $90,000 annually, with no co-pays for anyone earning less than $70,000 annually.
In the 2022 federal budget the federal government earmarked $5.3 billion over five years and then $1.7 billion ongoing for Health Canada to oversee implementation of the dental-care plan.
News
Ontario Legislature keffiyeh ban remains, though Ford and opposition leaders ask for reversal – CBC.ca
Keffiyehs remain banned in the Ontario Legislature after a unanimous consent motion that would have allowed the scarf to be worn failed to pass at Queen’s Park Thursday.
That vote, brought forth by NDP Leader Marit Stiles, failed despite Premier Doug Ford and the leaders of the province’s opposition parties all stating they want to see the ban overturned. Complete agreement from all MPPs is required for a motion like this to pass, and there were a smattering of “nos” after it was read into the record.
In an email on Wednesday, Speaker Ted Arnott said the legislature has previously restricted the wearing of clothing that is intended to make an “overt political statement” because it upholds a “standard practice of decorum.”
“The Speaker cannot be aware of the meaning of every symbol or pattern but when items are drawn to my attention, there is a responsibility to respond. After extensive research, I concluded that the wearing of keffiyehs at the present time in our Assembly is intended to be a political statement. So, as Speaker, I cannot authorize the wearing of keffiyehs based on our longstanding conventions,” Arnott said in an email.
Speaking at Queen’s Park Thursday, Arnott said he would reconsider the ban with unanimous consent from MPPs.
“If the house believes that the wearing of the keffiyeh in this house, at the present time, is not a political statement, I would certainly and unequivocally accept the express will of the house with no ifs, ands or buts,” he said.
Keffiyehs are a commonly worn scarf among Arabs, but hold special significance to Palestinian people. They have been a frequent sight among pro-Palestinian protesters calling for an end to the violence in Gaza as the Israel-Hamas� war continues.
Premier calls for reversal
Ford said Thursday he’s hopeful Arnott will reverse the ban, but he didn’t say if he would instruct his caucus to support the NDP’s motion.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Ford said the decision was made by the speaker and nobody else.
“I do not support his decision as it needlessly divides the people of our province. I call on the speaker to reverse his decision immediately,” Ford said.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated Thursday that he does not support Speaker Ted Arnott banning keffiyehs in the Ontario Legislature because they are “intended to be a political statement,” as Arnott said in an email Wednesday.
PC Party MPP Robin Martin, who represents Eglinton–Lawrence, voted against the unanimous consent motion Thursday and told reporters she believes the speaker’s initial ruling was the correct one.
“We have to follow the rules of the legislature, otherwise we politicize the entire debate inside the legislature, and that’s not what it’s about. What it’s about is we come there and use our words to persuade, not items of clothing.”
When asked if she had defied a directive from the premier, Martin said, “It has nothing to do with the premier, it’s a decision of the speaker of the legislative assembly.”
Stiles told reporters Thursday she’s happy Ford is on her side on this issue, but added she is disappointed the motion didn’t pass.
“The premier needs to talk to his people and make sure they do the right thing,” she said.
Stiles first urged Arnott to reconsider the ban in an April 12 letter. She said concerns over the directive first surfaced after being flagged by members of her staff, however they have gained prominence after Sarah Jama, Independent MPP for Hamilton Centre, posted about the issue on X, formerly Twitter.
Jama was removed from the NDP caucus for her social media comments on the Israel-Hamas war shortly after Oct. 7.
Jama has said she believes she was kicked out of the party because she called for a ceasefire in Gaza “too early” and because she called Israel an “apartheid state.”
Arnott told reporters Thursday that he began examining a ban on the Keffiyeh after one MPP made a complaint about another MPP, who he believes was Jama, who was wearing one.
Liberals also call for reversal
Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie also called for a reversal of the ban on Wednesday night.
“Here in Ontario, we are home to a diverse group of people from so many backgrounds. This is a time when leaders should be looking for ways to bring people together, not to further divide us. I urge Speaker Arnott to immediately reconsider this move to ban the keffiyeh,” Crombie said.
Keffiyehs are a common garment across the Arab world, but they hold a special meaning in the Palestinian resistance movement.
Stiles said MPPs have worn kilts, kirpans, vyshyvankas and chubas in the legislature, saying such items of clothing not only have national and cultural associations, but have also been considered at times as “political symbols in need of suppression.”
She said Indigenous and non-Indigenous members have also dressed in traditional regalia and these items cannot be separated from their historical and political significance.
“The wearing of these important cultural and national clothing items in our Assembly is something we should be proud of. It is part of the story of who we are as a province,” she said.
“Palestinians are part of that story, and the keffiyeh is a traditional clothing item that is significant not only to them but to many members of Arab and Muslim communities. That includes members of my staff who have been asked to remove their keffiyehs in order to come to work. This is unacceptable.”
Stiles added that House of Commons and other provincial legislatures allow the wearing of keffiyehs in their chambers and the ban makes Ontario an “outlier.”
Suppression of cultural symbols part of genocide: MPP
Jama said on X that the ban is “unsurprising” but “nonetheless concerning” in a country that has a legacy of colonialism. “Part of committing genocide is the forceful suppression of cultural identity and cultural symbols,” she said in part.
“Seeing those in power in this country at all levels of government, from federal all the way down to school boards, aid Israel’s colonial regime with these tactics in the oppression of Palestinian people proves that reconciliation is nothing but a word when spoken by state powers,” she said.
Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, said on X that it is “deeply ironic” on that keffiyehs were banned in the Ontario legislature on the 42nd anniversary of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“This is wrong and dangerous as we have already seen violence and exclusion impact Canadians, including Muslims of Palestinian descent, who choose to wear this traditional Palestinian clothing,” Elghawaby said.
Arnott said the keffiyeh was not considered a “form of protest” in the legislature prior to statements and debates that happened in the House last fall.
“These items are not absolutes and are not judged in a vacuum,” he said.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]
Best in Canada: Jets Beat Canucks to Finish Season as Top Canadian Club The Hockey News
Source link
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
The policy change would remove the current donor screening criteria, allowing men who have sex with men to legally donate sperm for the first time in more than 30 years, as part of the anonymous donation process.
This update comes after CTV News first reported last year that a gay man was taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of the policy on the basis that it violates the right to equality in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
According to an email Health Canada sent stakeholders informing them of the upcoming amendments to the federal directive, “sperm donors will instead be asked gender-neutral, sexual behaviour-based donor screening questions,” more in-line with the 2022 change made by Canadian Blood Services to its donation policy.
However, instead of entirely eradicating restrictions for gay and bisexual men, lawyer Gregory Ko – whose client, Aziz M., brought the case – cautioned that Health Canada will continue to bar donations from those who have had new or multiple partners in the last three months, based on rules regarding anal sex. CTV News has agreed to protect the full identity of Aziz M. out of concerns for his privacy.
Ko said while the update is an important milestone, his client intends to maintain his challenge against the Health Canada directive, “and the continued discrimination contained in this latest revision.”
“Based on our understanding of the science, there is no scientific justification for screening criteria that continues to discriminate on the basis of sexual activity and sexual orientation, since the testing and quarantine protocols already in place allow sperm banks to detect relevant infections and exclude such donations,” Ko said.
Currently, a Health Canada directive prohibits gay and bisexual men from donating sperm to a sperm bank for general use, unless they’ve been abstinent for three months or are donating to someone they know.
For example, it stops any gay man who is sexually active from donating, even if they are in a long-term monogamous relationship.
Under the “Safety of Sperm and Ova Regulation,” sperm banks operating in Canada must deem these prospective donors “unsuitable,” despite all donations being subject to screening, testing and a six-month quarantine before they can be used.
While the directive does not mention transgender or non-binary donors, the policy also applies to individuals who may not identify as male but would be categorized as men under the directive.
It’s a blanket policy that the Toronto man bringing the lawsuit said made him feel like a “second-class citizen,” and goes to the heart of the many barriers that exist for LGBTQ2S+ Canadians looking to have children.
When CTV News first reported on the lawsuit, Health Canada and various federal ministers said they would be “exploring” a policy change, citing the progress made on blood donation rules.
The update comes following “the consultations held in August 2023 and January 2024,” according to Health Canada.
This is a breaking news story, more to come…
Toronto reports 2 more measles cases. Use our tool to check the spread in Canada – Toronto Star
Want to Outperform 88% of Professional Fund Managers? Buy This 1 Investment and Hold It Forever. – The Motley Fool
RCMP national security team investigating Yellowhead County pipeline rupture: Alberta minister – Global News
Silver investment demand jumped 12% in 2019
12 Bizarre Things People Did Just To Make Social Media Content
Global Media Markets, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F – TV and Radio Broadcasting, Film and Music, Information Services, Web Content, Search Portals And Social Media, Print Media, & Cable – GlobeNewswire
-
Investment14 hours agoUK Mulls New Curbs on Outbound Investment Over Security Risks – BNN Bloomberg
-
Sports12 hours ago
Auston Matthews denied 70th goal as depleted Leafs lose last regular-season game – Toronto Sun
-
Tech13 hours ago
Save $700 Off This 4K Projector at Amazon While You Still Can – CNET
-
Tech12 hours ago
'Kingdom Come: Deliverance II' Revealed In Epic New Trailer And It Looks Incredible – Forbes
-
Science14 hours ago
Jeremy Hansen – The Canadian Encyclopedia
-
Business11 hours ago
BC short-term rental rules take effect May 1 – CityNews Vancouver
-
Investment11 hours ago
Benjamin Bergen: Why would anyone invest in Canada now? – National Post
-
Art11 hours ago
Collection of First Nations art stolen from Gordon Head home – Times Colonist
