A dentist in the pediatric dentistry department at Riley Hospital for Children checks the teeth of Justin Perez, 11, during an office visit in Indianapolis, Friday, Jan. 22, 2016. University of Calgary associate professor of economics Lindsay Tedds warns of the federal dental benefit for children opens families to the possibility of “clawback” if they do not spend all the money on their children’s teeth. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Michael Conroy A University of Calgary economist is warning that a new federal dental benefit for children could open families up to clawbacks if they don’t spend all the money on their children’s teeth. The government plans to offer checks of up to $650 to low- and middle-income families with qualifying children under 12 to pay for their dental needs. The program has some similarities to Canada’s emergency allowance, which saw the federal government pay about $82 billion to workers who lost their jobs during the pandemic. The government faced an attack from opposition parties after some Canadians were unexpectedly forced to pay back thousands of dollars because they were given more than they should have been. The dental care benefit has many of the same flaws, said Lindsay Tedds, associate professor of economics, and will likely lead to similar clawbacks. “This is going to happen. They’re setting it up to happen,” Tedds said in an interview. The program is open to families with a household income of less than $90,000. Eligible families will need to certify that they do not have private insurance, that they have out-of-pocket dental expenses, and that they will keep their receipts. Tents said many low-income families already qualify for provincial dental coverage and may not use all the money they receive from the federal government. Others may lose their receipts or use the money for other pressing needs. If the government doesn’t change the criteria, he said some marginalized families will face consequences from Canada Revenue Agency. “It’s disappointing to see that we haven’t learned from our emergency programs,” he said. The Health and Finance departments did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The government has repeatedly suggested the federal dental program is for children who don’t already have dental benefits, but the criteria published so far don’t necessarily exclude people with provincial coverage from applying. “I would call it a lack of clarity,” said Dr. Carlos Quiñonez, vice chancellor and director of Schulich Dentistry at Western University, who was consulted by the federal government. “Ultimately, some policy guide will have to be developed that will probably clarify these things.” That clarity may come once the legislation is tabled in the House of Commons, which could happen as early as Tuesday, when the health and associated finance ministers plan to hold a press conference on the bill. The government hopes to make the first payments as early as December 1. Dental care is an important element of the supply-and-confidence deal between the Liberals and the NDP, one that will prop up a Liberal minority government and prevent another election until 2025. The government has until the end of the year to implement the first phase of its plans or risk the NDP walking out of the deal. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said his party encourages the government to trust Canadians and not spend too much time and resources screening families when the benefit is only temporary. The government has promised to launch a full dental program by 2025. “We want this to be a generous program that trusts Canadians to take care of their families,” Singh said in an interview. “We don’t want to have a clawback and we don’t want to put undue stress on families.” However, the decision may not be up to the Liberals, Tedds said, as the CRA operates at a relative distance from the government.
