Name of Program PIA (2023-08-31) Canadian Dental Care Plan – Phase #1

Description of (Program/Initiative)

Budget 2022 and Budget 2023 committed to expand dental care for Canadians. Federal government partners (Health Canada, Canada Revenue Agency, Employment and Social Development Canada) have developed a long-term dental care program to meet that commitment. The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) will reduce financial barriers to accessing oral health services and provide dental coverage for uninsured Canadians with an annual adjusted family net income of less that $90,000. Health Canada will work with a third-party contractor to administer the CDCP. Eligible applicants will be able to apply for enrolment in the CDCP in late 2023 in a phased approach, and dental care coverage will begin in early 2024, also in a phased approach. Full implementation will be complete by 2025.

Why was a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) completed?

As per Section 6.3.1 of the Treasury Board (TB) Directive on Privacy Impact Assessment, the CDCP meets the following criteria to initiate a PIA:

• when personal information is used for or is intended to be used as part of a decision-making process that directly affects the individual; and
• when contracting out or transferring a program or activities to another level of government or the private sector results in substantial modifications to the program or activities.

More Information

This PIA (preliminary assessment) focused on the third-party contractor and HC's handling of personal information related to the CDCP, including the validation of CDCP membership applications and it serves as a road map for future privacy assessments as the CDCP rolls out. This PIA (preliminary assessment) included a new Personal Information Bank for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat to register. The timing of subsequent privacy analyses will align with program milestones where personal information will be collected and processed for the purpose of delivering the CDCP. Employment and Social Development Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency are completing their own CDCP-related Privacy Impact Assessments.

The PIA (preliminary assessment) recommended mitigation actions at this time in the following risk areas: collection, use, disclosure and retention of personal information by Health Canada.