Students Deserve Affordable Dental Care

Tell the federal government to stop excluding post-secondary students from the Canadian Dental Care Plan

The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) was created to help low- and middle-income people afford essential dental care. For many Canadians, it’s a long-overdue step toward universal healthcare.

But for thousands of post-secondary students, that promise stops short.

Even if you meet the income threshold, you can be excluded from the CDCP simply because you have dental coverage through your students’ union. This coverage is limited and funded entirely by student fees.

That’s not fair, and it’s not what the program is meant to do.

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To Minister Michel,

The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) was created to ensure income-eligible Canadian residents have access to essential dental care based on need. For many, it’s a celebrated step toward a more equitable public healthcare system. Unfortunately, many low- and middle-income post-secondary students are excluded from this program.

Under the current eligibility rules, students are excluded from the CDCP simply because they have access to dental coverage through a student organisation benefit plan, even if they meet the income threshold. This exclusion is inequitable and out of step with the purpose of the CDCP.

Health and dental plans provided by students’ organisations were never meant to replace public care. These plans exist to cover gaps in public coverage, not to replace it. Unlike employer or pension plans, students’ organisation plans are not-for-profit, fully funded by students, and designed to keep costs as low as possible. As a result, they offer limited coverage with low annual maximums that many students reach quickly, leaving them paying out of pocket or delaying care altogether. Therefore, students’ organisation plans should not be used to disqualify income-eligible students from accessing better, publicly funded dental coverage through the CDCP.

At a time when students are already stretched past the breaking point by rising tuition, housing costs, and food prices, dental care is often the first thing put off, not because it’s optional, but because it’s unaffordable. No student should have to choose between paying rent, buying groceries, and seeing a dentist, especially when a federal program exists specifically to prevent that situation.

In BC, most students’ organisation plans only cover an average of 50-80% of dental services to a maximum of $715 annually; typically, the cost of a cleaning and one filling. By contrast, the CDCP covers one filling on every tooth (including repeat fillings when medically necessary), cleanings and preventative care, and a broader range of services overall. It’s clear that the CDCP offers far more comprehensive coverage than student plans can realistically offer.

If a student meets the income threshold for the CDCP, they should qualify for the program. Excluding students because of access to limited, student-funded coverage undermines the CDCP’s goal of improving access and the long-term health of Canadian residents.

Providing equitable access to the CDCP for low- and middle-income students would allow the program to truly fulfill its purpose and help students get the care they deserve. It would also allow students’ unions to redirect savings from the inclusion of students on the CDCP toward improving coverage for other much needed services, such as increasing annual and per-visit limits for mental health counselling, vision care, or other health care expenses not covered publicly.

We call on the Government of Canada to:

Revise the CDCP’s eligibility requirements and remove the student organisation exclusion so that all students who meet the income threshold have equitable access to the same comprehensive dental coverage as other income-eligible Canadian residents.

Meet with student representatives from the BC Federation of Students and students’ associations across Canada to better understand the realities of student dental coverage and how the CDCP could be implemented most effectively for this demographic.

Removing this exclusion would be a transformative step toward a more equitable healthcare system—one that truly supports students’ health, dignity, and wellbeing.

We look forward to seeing the government’s swift action on this important matter.

Student Health Plans Shouldn’t Block Public Care

Students’ union health and dental plans exist because public coverage didn’t. They were created decades ago to fill gaps in Canada’s healthcare system, not to replace it.

Unlike employer or pension plans, student plans are:

  • Not-for-profit
  • Fully paid for by students
  • Designed to keep fees as low as possible

These plans offer limited coverage with low annual maximums. Many students hit those limits quickly and are left paying out of pocket, or delaying care altogether. Having some coverage should not disqualify us from accessing better, publicly funded coverage through the CDCP.

Students Are Already Stretched Past Breaking Point

The cost-of-living crisis is hitting students especially hard. Between high housing costs, rising food prices, and tuition hikes, students are being asked to absorb costs that simply don’t fit within our budgets. Dental care is often the first thing people put off, not because it’s optional, but because it’s unaffordable.

No student should have to choose between paying rent, buying groceries, and seeing a dentist, especially when a federal program like the CDCP exists specifically to prevent that.

Low- and middle-income students deserve equitable access to public dental care through the CDCP.

What Needs to Change

The federal government must remove the exclusion that bars students from the CDCP simply because they have access to a students’ union health plan. If you meet the income threshold, you should qualify. Full stop.

Join us in calling on Canada’s Health Minister: Post-secondary students who meet the income threshold must be included in the Canadian Dental Care Plan now.

TAKE ACTION

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The CDCP is a federal program designed to make dental care affordable for people with an annual family income under $90,000. If you're a Canadian resident that meets this income threshold, and don’t have access to dental insurance, the program will cover some, or all, of your dental costs. It’s intended to remove financial barriers accessing dental care.

  • Students are excluded because the federal government considers access to any dental plan — including students’ union plans — as “having coverage.” According to the federal government, it “is not intended to be a replacement for existing dental benefits offered through employer/pension-sponsored or private plans”.

    However, students’ union dental plans are not employer benefits, pension benefits, or private insurance. They are not-for-profit, fully paid for by students, and exist only because public dental care didn’t when they were created. Treating student plans the same as employer or pension plans unfairly disadvantages low-income students.

  • No. Even if you opt out, the federal government still considers you ineligible simply because you have access to a students’ union plan. This means opting out doesn’t solve the problem, it just leaves you with no coverage at all.

    That’s why the exclusion itself needs to be removed. Sign our petition now!

  • On average, students’ union dental plans in BC cover 50–80% of services to a maximum of about $715 per year — usually the cost of a cleaning and one filling.

    The CDCP, by contrast, covers:

    • One filling on every tooth (including repeat fillings when medically necessary)
    • Cleanings and preventative care
    • A much broader range of services overall

    This is far more meaningful coverage than student plans can realistically provide.

  • Students voted, through referendums, to create these plans decades ago to fill gaps in Canada’s public healthcare system and provide students with access to extended benefits, such as dental care, mental health supports and vision care, while removing high out-of-pockets expenses.

    The jobs students have often mean that they don't have employer benefits, but students' unions created these plans recognizing how important it is for students to still be able to look after their physical and mental health while in school.

    They were never meant to replace public healthcare, and they shouldn’t be used as an excuse to deny access to it.

  • No. To our knowledge, the federal government did not consult students or students’ unions in BC before implementing rules that disproportionately harm low- and middle-income students.

  • Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Many post-secondary institutions use outdated systems that can’t manage assessing different fees to different students. Removing coverage would also leave students from higher-income households with no dental care at all.

    Changing plans would also require referendums at every institution across the country. Instead of forcing students to change or dismantle the coverage they have, that pre-dates the CDCP, the federal government should fix the real issue by building an equitable system and removing the exclusion.

  • The federal government must remove the rule that excludes students from the CDCP simply because they have access to a students’ union plan. If you meet the income threshold, you should be eligible—simple as that.

    Sign the petition and demand fair access to the Canadian Dental Care Plan