Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is making no apologies for reaffirming his party’s commitment to a national dental care program that mirrors the one he announced two years ago.
Singh was back in the riding of St. John’s East today, a seat the NDP has held under retiring MP Jack Harris, and the party’s only one in Atlantic Canada.
Singh says an NDP government would start a federal dental care plan by covering uninsured families earning less than $90,000 a year. He estimates it would see 6.5 million Canadians benefit, with the average family saving $1,200 in annual dental fees.
He acknowledges the plan is identical to the one unveiled in 2019, noting it continues to be a key pillar and value in the party’s platform, made more important as the pandemic took hold.
Singh pledged to pay for the dental program and other initiatives by introducing a new 1 per cent tax on Canadians with a net wealth of $10 million or more. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has estimated that would generate $11 billion in revenue in the first year alone
This was Singh’s second visit to St. John’s East in a couple of weeks, a sign of its importance to the party in the upcoming September 20th federal election.
