LILLEY: Pierre Poilievre seeks fairness from Liberals' broken refugee health plan
· Toronto Sun
Should people claiming refugee status, even those who have been rejected, get paid government health benefits that are better than what Canadians receive?
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That’s the way the system works now and despite calls by the Conservatives to change that, the Mark Carney Liberals aren’t very interested in listening.
Sure, they are tinkering with the program and bringing in small changes, but the reality is we have a system that is giving 600,000 people , including many who have been denied permission to stay in Canada, free health care.
The system, known as the Interim Federal Health Program, currently covers basic health measures such as doctor visits, hospital stays and procedures and ambulance services, as well as lab and diagnostic services.
Unlike most provincial health programs, though, the IFHP also covers psychologists and counselling therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech language therapists, assistive devices like prosthetics, mobility aids and hearing aids, home care and long-term care, urgent dental care, limited vision care, medical supplies and equipment. The plan also covers all prescription drugs.
Program is out of control
A decade ago in 2016, this program cost $60 million to operate and provided services to fewer than 100,000 people. This year, it is covering more than 600,000 people and will cost just shy of $1 billion .
A report from the parliamentary budget officer predicts that by 2030, this program will cost $1.5 billion. Liberal Health Minister Lena Diab tried to dismiss that report as speculation and projections that don’t take into account changes that the Liberals are making, but the only projections are for future years and the fact that the program’s cost ballooned from $60 million to almost $1 billion is not up for dispute.
In a video posted online, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said the program, which he points out has seen costs increase by more than 1,000%, is out of control. His party has tabled a motion calling for change that will be voted on in the House of Commons.
“The motion would force a review and a cutback in benefits to asylum claimants to ensure that non-citizens and non-permanent residents do not get superior health benefits than Canadians,” Poilievre said.
“Second, it would ensure that those asylum claimants who are here and have been rejected only get life-saving emergency care and not special care.”
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Supporting changes should be no-brainer
The Conservatives asked the Liberal government whether they would support changes to the program to bring it into line and the Liberals weren’t biting.
“Will the Liberals support our constructive motion to restore fairness and prioritize Canadians who pay for the health-care system over fake refugees?” Conservative MP and immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner asked.
Diab said the government was already reining in costs.
“We have already introduced and made changes to the Interim Federal Health Program that will considerably reduce the costs. We are also making significant changes and have introduced (Bill) C-12, which will curb the misuse of asylum,” she said.
Changes to program don’t go far enough
The cost-control measures introduced by the Liberals couldn’t even be described as half-measures. They are introducing a $4 co-pay for all prescription drugs, but prescriptions will still be paid for unlike the prescriptions of most Canadians who either pay by themselves or use private insurance to cover drug costs.
On services like dental care, physiotherapy or eyeglasses, the Carney government will require a 30% co-payment. That’s a step in the right direction, but the government is still covering 70% of the cost, while most Canadian citizens don’t get these same services covered by their government health plan.
The Carney government also boasts that they have reduced asylum claims by 30%. It’s true that the number of new asylum claims are down from 2024, when 190,000 people claimed asylum, but at the end of 2025 there was a backlog of 299,614 people.
In 2016, there were 16,592 people who claimed asylum and a backlog of 10,000 people.
The Liberals clearly mismanaged the system and it needs more than a slight tinkering to get back on track. The government should clearly and seriously consider backing the Conservative motion as part of a plan to fix the immigration system that they broke.