LILLEY: Refugee health program abuse is costing you, but Liberals ignore it

Vast majority in 'refugee' health program came to Canada as students or foreign workers and then claimed asylum.

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Published May 26, 2026  •  3 minute read

The Nav Centre in Cornwall, Ont. awaits the next wave of refugees on Aug. 19, 2017. Photo by GEOFF ROBINS /GETTY IMAGES

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There are tens of thousands of people in Canada who are getting taxpayer-funded health benefits from a program for refugees despite having their refugee claim denied. That’s one of the big headlines from a new report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

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Earlier this year, the PBO revealed that the cost of the Interim Federal Health Program, which covers refugee and asylum claimants, had risen from $60 million a year to close to $1 billion annually.

On Tuesday, in a follow-up report that broke down the program further, the PBO revealed that roughly 74,000 failed refugee claimants, “defined as individuals who made a claim for refugee protection in Canada and did not obtain protection,” were still accessing this gold-plated health plan despite being subject to a removal order — meaning they had been ordered deported from Canada.

“In addition, 27,759 failed claimants were in the wanted inventory, meaning they were subject to an enforceable removal order who failed to appear for removal proceedings and the CBSA is working to locate the foreign national,” the new report said.

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This is nothing short of an abuse of the system caused by a system that incentivizes abuse.

Temporary program being abused by thousands

The IFHP is supposed to give stop-gap health coverage to refugee and asylum claimants until they qualify for provincial or territorial health benefits once their applications are approved. The problem with the IFHP is that it provides a level of health services that most Canadians don’t get from their own government health plans, including physiotherapy, eye care, dental services and more.

This is part of the incentive system for those looking to abuse the program.

Resettled refugees were on this program for an average of three months before transitioning to a provincial program. The PBO report found that for fiscal year 2024-25, the average duration of coverage for asylum claimants was roughly four years.

The people sitting in this system using up expensive health benefits aren’t even real refugees. They are mostly people who came to Canada as international students, on visitors’ visas or as temporary foreign workers and then claimed asylum.

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“Since 2023, claimants with prior temporary resident approval have accounted for an average of 79 per cent of all claims, up from 52 per cent in the pre pandemic period,” the PBO report stated.

More than 74,000 rejected refugee claimants are still getting a gold-plated health program paid for by the federal government. TORONTO SUN GRAPHICS

Liberals took over a program that worked and failed to manage it properly

This program, which has only grown due to Liberal mismanagement of the program and the asylum/refugee program over the last decade, cost $822 million in 2024-25 and is expected to cost more than $1 billion this year. The Carney government has introduced co-payments for some services, such as prescription drugs.

That is expected to save some money for taxpayers going forward, but those savings could be easily wiped out due to the government not managing how many people are claiming asylum or the backlog in getting hearings processed.

Each one-month processing delay would add $72 to $92 million annually to the cost of the program.

Read More

1. 

   LILLEY: False asylum claims drive refugee health-care program toward $1B price tag

2. 

   LILLEY: Our asylum system is being abused and needs to change fast

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Question about abuse dismissed by Liberals

In response to serious questions about this in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Liberal House Leader Steve MacKinnon tried to paint the Conservatives who were asking questions as heartless.

“Why are conservatives against providing health care to some of the most vulnerable people on this earth?” MacKinnon asked.

The most vulnerable people on earth come to Canada as visitors and then claim asylum? That’s what the PBO report said 79% of those in the program of late are doing.

The Liberals are simply trying to deflect away from their incompetence.

This program is being abused just like the asylum system is being abused, all due to Liberal mismanagement. They want to imply that you are an uncaring racist if you question their incompetence.

That’s a failure on their part.

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