An additional $317 million is allocated to the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) after the Parliament held an 11th-hour vote on a $21-billion spending bill.
Tuesday’s vote’s outcome was already considered a foregone conclusion after NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh indicated his party would support the supplementary estimates. The support is tied to the inclusion of additional funding for the government’s new dental care program.
The new funding will add to the $13 billion already earmarked in Budget 2023 for the CDCP over the next five years, as well as the $4.4 billion in annual funding committed to cover the program’s ongoing costs.
The Conservative party opposed the additional spending in its entirety, while the Bloc Québécois only opposed one aspect of it — $1.1 million in spending for Canada’s special representative on combating Islamophobia.
Last month, the Liberals requested parliamentary approval for $21.6 billion in spending. This funding is intended to support various programs, including the First Nations child and family services program and compensation for the Quebec government for services provided to asylum seekers.
Uncertainty had surrounded whether the vote would proceed before Tuesday’s deadline. Parliament has been stalled for months as the Conservatives demanded the Liberals release documents related to alleged misspending in a green-tech fund.
(With files from The Canadian Press)
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