Ontario: According to a new report, hundreds of Canadians may be deprived of government support due to expensive living costs as some people have not received the housing and dental benefits introduced last year.
The analysis, conducted by David McDonald, a senior economist at the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives, also tried to find out how much money the government had actually spent on these parameters. He made a comparative study of the estimated amount mentioned in a statement issued by the federal government late last year and the data provided on the website at the end of March.
McDonald found that only 44 percent of eligible claimants received Canada Housing Benefits, while a little more than half received Canada Dental Benefits. In an interview, McDonald said that these rates are very low. Housing benefits offered lower-income tenants a $500 housing benefit. Applications in this regard were closed till March 31. Under the federal dental benefit, children under the age of 12 were promised $ 650 per child.
But only half of the people benefited from it. This was the first step taken by the Liberals to launch a national dental care program under a key agreement with the NDP.
The federal government seeks the direct help of the CRA to deliver money to the public as soon as possible, but McDonald said that according to his analysis, changes need to be made here. He said the federal government should simplify the method of applying or make Canadians better aware of such programs.
Experts say that the federal government has spent less money on these programs than what was originally reserved for such criteria.