EDMONTON — As Albertans’ anxiety grows over the rising cost of living — including how new tariffs could impact their employment, health benefits, and pocketbooks — the federal government continues to drag their heels on delivering much-needed relief when it comes to expanding dental care and bringing down drug costs.
“We saw during the pandemic that relying on precarious employment benefits simply isn’t good enough to protect Albertans’ health from major economic turbulence or a sky-high cost of living,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “It’s unacceptable that so many people in this country are avoiding the dentist, or skipping their medications and splitting pills just to make ends meet. The public needs the federal government to act swiftly to fulfill their promises and ensure robust social programs such as dental care and Pharmacare are in place. And we need our Alberta government to stop intentionally impeding progress.”
The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) currently covers seniors, children and folks living with disabilities, allowing over 3 million Canadians without dental coverage to sign up in 2024, including over 170,000 Albertans. The next phase of the CDCP was supposed to expand to cover adults 18-65 who meet the eligibility criteria in 2025, but the federal government has yet to open up enrollment to this demographic.
“The Canadian Dental Care Plan has already been incredibly successful, helping more than fifty thousand Albertans access affordable dental care by the end of 2024,” said Gallaway. “But it’s now February, so why has the federal government not opened up applications for Phase 3 of the CDCP? All of the legislative and fiscal tools needed to expand coverage to all qualifying adults are already in place. There is literally nothing stopping the federal government from acting immediately to help more Canadians and Albertans afford dental care.”
The passing of Bill C-64: An Act Respecting Pharmacare last October brought us closer than we’ve ever been to achieving single-payer drug coverage in Canada. All that’s left to do is get bilateral agreements signed with provincial governments to get coverage for diabetes and contraceptive medications under way. Yet, months after Bill C-64 became law, not a single agreement has been signed with a provincial government, and Alberta continues to push for an opt-out from the program.
“This is a crucial time for provinces to get on board and work collaboratively with our federal government to ensure the Pharmacare program is implemented and expanded as quickly as possible. Canadians in need of these life-changing medications shouldn’t have to wait a day longer,” said Gallaway. “Opinion polling has repeatedly shown that Albertans overwhelmingly support national, universal Pharmacare. Our governments need to listen to Albertans, put aside petty politics, and get this done.”
Take action in support of dental care: friendsofmedicare.org/abdentalcare, and send an email to tell our government to implement Pharmacare in Alberta: friendsofmedicare.org/abpharmacare!
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