Question Period Notes
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How is Service Canada managing the application and renewal process for the Canadian Dental Care Plan?The Canadian Dental Care Plan is led by Health Canada and aims to reduce cost barriers to oral health care to the greatest extent possible, with a focus on diagnostic, preventative, and restorative services.
On behalf of Health Canada, Service Canada receives, processes and manages applications for eligibility. To qualify for the Canadian Dental Care Plan an applicant must be a Canadian resident for tax purposes, have filed a tax return in the preceding year, must not have access to private dental insurance or coverage, and must have an Adjusted Family Net Income of less than $90K annually. The Canada Revenue Agency is responsible for calculating the Adjusted Family Net Income.
Through its Community Outreach and Liaison Service, Service Canada promotes the Canadian Dental Care Plan and assists vulnerable populations in applying for the plan.
As of January 4, 2026, the department conducted over 36,500 liaison services with community organizations, and facilitated over 7,200 outreach events, reaching approximately 158,900 participants to raise awareness of and assist with the Canadian Dental Care Plan.
Canadians can apply for dental care online, by phone, at a Service Canada Centre, scheduled outreach site, or at a community outreach event.
As of January 13, 2026, nearly 6 million (5,882,618) Canadians have been enrolled for 2025-2026 alone, and over 3.54 million clients have received care this benefit year. So far, this fiscal year (January 7, 2026), Sun Life has paid out over $3.1 billion in approved claims.
The Canada Child Benefit (CCB) provides support to about 3.5 million families, including over 6 million children, putting more than $28.6 billion, tax free, in the hands of Canadian families each year.
Most families receiving the maximum CCB amounts are single-parent families, with approximately 90% of them being single mothers.
Canada’s Poverty Reduction Strategy and Youth Facing Economic Insecurity. The Government of Canada released Opportunity for All – Canada’s First Poverty Reduction Strategy – in 2018. The Strategy sets a bold vision for Canada as a world leader in ending poverty. The Strategy aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating poverty (SDG 1).
To implement this vision, the Government of Canada enshrined into law:
Canada’s Official Poverty Line;
Ambitious poverty reduction targets of 20 percent by 2020 and 50 percent by 2030, relative to 2015 levels; and
The National Advisory Council on Poverty to track progress and advise the Minister of Jobs and Families on poverty reduction.
Through the Strategy, Canada has strengthened its social safety net with measures like the Canada Child Benefit, improvements to the Old Age Security pension and the Guaranteed Income Supplement, and introduction of the Canada Workers Benefit in 2019, which was subsequently enhanced in 2021.
These initiatives, along with the ongoing development of a Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system, the Canadian Dental Care Plan, the National School Food Program and the recent introduction of the Canada Disability Benefit help make life more affordable for Canadians.
o Public Safety Canada works in collaboration with other federal departments and provincial and territorial (PT) governments, academia, national associations and non-governmental organizations to strengthen national emergency preparedness.
o These efforts, taken prior to an emergency, are aimed at making Canadian communities safe and resilient.
Alert Ready, the National Public Alerting System (NPAS), provides emergency management organizations across the country with the capability to rapidly warn the public of imminent or unfolding hazards to life.
The final report of the Nova Scotia Mass Casualty Commission included recommendations related to public alerting.
Canada’s public safety community faces significant interoperability challenges and relies on outdated communications technologies that do not meet the requirements of today and tomorrow’s emergency response.
A nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (PSBN) would provide a secure, resilient, and interoperable communications platform for responders, and enable new technologies and applications that enhance emergency response.
Public Safety Canada’s (PS) Government Operations Centre (GOC) is making preparations for the upcoming cyclical event season. Last year, the (GOC) activated its Cyclical Event Team on April 8, 2025, to provide 24/7 monitoring and reporting on flooding, wildland fires, hurricanes and to coordinate requests for federal assistance (RFA). The Cyclical Event Team was deactivated on September 26, 2025.
The Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) helps provinces and territories manage large-scale natural disasters by cost-sharing eligible recovery expenses. Since 1970, Canada has contributed $9.6 billion, with $5 billion in outstanding liabilities. Provinces administer their own aid programs and may request federal support. A modernized DFAA launched April 1, 2025.
Support in tourism from Canada Economic Development for the regions of Quebec