Minister Boissonnault and MP Long highlight budget investments in public health care and affordable dental care

April 11, 2023 - Saint John, New Brunswick - Department of Finance Canada

Today in Saint John, New Brunswick, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, and Wayne Long, Member of Parliament for Saint John—Rothesay, highlighted Budget 2023’s investments in public health care and affordable dental care.

Canadians are proud of our universal publicly funded health care system. No matter how much money people make, where they were born or what their parents do, they can receive the care they need. However, our public health care system is not delivering the high-quality care that Canadians deserve. For example, surgeries have been postponed or cancelled. Our public health care system, and the workers who uphold it, are under enormous strain. This situation was made worse by the pandemic and requires immediate action.

To strengthen Canada’s universal public health care system, the budget delivers $198.3 billion over ten years, including $3.8 billion in New Brunswick, to reduce backlogs, expand access to family health services, and ensure provinces and territories can provide the high-quality and timely health care Canadians expect and deserve.

Budget 2023 also introduces a new Canadian Dental Care Plan that will begin to roll out by the end of this year and be fully implemented by 2025. This will provide dental coverage to up to nine million Canadians and will ensure no one has to choose between taking care of their health and paying the bills at the end of the month.

With these significant investments—as well as new measures to address the shortage of health care professionals in rural and remote communities, safeguard access to abortion and other sexual and reproductive health care services, combat the opioid crisis, and ensure that Canadians can receive critical mental health support—Budget 2023 will help build a healthier Canada from coast to coast to coast.