The federal cabinet made the Remission Order in Respect of Canadian Dental Care Plan Eligibility Issues on 25 September 2026 (P.C. 2026-862) under subsection 23(2.1) of the Financial Administration Act, on the recommendation of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Health. It was registered as SOR/2026-204 and published in Canada Gazette Part II on 21 October 2026.

Who gets the debt forgiven

Anyone who:

  • was found eligible for the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) in the 2024–25, 2025–26 or 2026–27 benefit periods,
  • based on an incorrect attestation that they had no access to private dental insurance,
  • received dental services the plan should not have paid for,
  • was later found ineligible because they did have private coverage, and
  • would otherwise have to repay what the plan paid their dentist.

The amount remitted is what the plan paid providers for those services plus any interest. People who already repaid will be reimbursed, with interest.

The cost and the reasons

The explanatory note puts the cost at up to $434.8 million, based on eligibility files and claims data. Health Canada’s reasons: the program relied on self-attestation at launch, some people say the private-coverage rule was unclear, most of those affected have low or modest incomes, and the cost of chasing many small debts “may be disproportionate” to what could be recovered. It says it cannot tell why any given person attested incorrectly, and that “it is plausible that at least some persons misunderstood” the requirement.

The note says ineligible people have been removed from the plan, that employers now report dental coverage on T4/T4A slips (they did not for the 2022 tax year used at launch), and that eligibility will be confirmed before enrolment from now on.

The cost estimate of the Remission Order represents an amount of up to $434.8 million. — Explanatory note, SOR/2026-204

Not the first CDCP remission

A year earlier, SI/2025-103 (Canada Gazette, 22 October 2025) remitted up to $29 million for CDCP members affected by government system errors and unclear communications to early senior applicants. That order said normal recovery would apply to future cases of ineligibility.

Citizen impact: If you were dropped from the CDCP because you had workplace or private dental coverage and got a bill from Ottawa, you should not have to pay it, and you should get your money back if you already did; Health Canada says it will write to everyone affected. For taxpayers, it is up to $434.8 million in plan spending that will not be recovered.

What this piece refuses

We do not call these claims “fraud” or “bogus”: the order says the government cannot distinguish deliberate from mistaken attestations. The $434.8 million is a maximum estimate, not a final cost. We have no official count of how many people are covered; the order does not give one.

Bottom line

SOR/2026-204 forgives up to $434.8 million owed by people who joined the dental plan while having private coverage, refunds anyone who repaid, and promises up-front eligibility checks.