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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

In question period on immigration, Conservative members said the immigration minister was mishandling the file, citing a Parliamentary Budget Officer report that nearly 74,000 people whose asylum claims were rejected remain eligible for federal health benefits, and arguing the government has brought in too many temporary residents while young Canadians cannot find jobs and no plan exists to remove those ordered to leave. They asked why these benefits continue and urged the minister to cancel them. Liberal ministers replied that the budget officer’s report confirmed costs are tied to volumes that are falling, that asylum claims have dropped about 60%, and that upcoming changes are expected to save more than $200 million a year. They said the interim federal health program covers only limited, essential care for people not yet eligible for provincial coverage, that claimants also pay taxes, and that the minister had agreed to appear for a full four hours at a committee meeting on Thursday. Liberals also asked why the Conservatives oppose health coverage for vulnerable people such as Ukrainians fleeing war.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

10 statements

Melissa Lantsman

Conservative
“The immigration minister is failing at her job. Her department is corrupt and is giving out 215,000 new work permits while young Canadians cannot find jobs. The government has no plan to deport temporary residents who refuse to leave, and it is paying for health care for nearly 74,000 people whose refugee claims were rejected.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, every week Canadians get up to another headline about the immigration minister botching her job. Corruption runs rampant in her department. Criminals walk away with discount sentences. She is issuing 215,000 new work permits while Canadian kids cannot find jobs, with no plan to deport the temporary residents who will not leave. Today, we learn that she is covering the premium health care costs of nearly 74,000 people whose asylum claims have already been rejected as fraudulent. How does it feel to be failing so publicly and so repeatedly on a file that is so important?

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Lena Metlege Diab

Liberal
“The budget officer confirmed that our costs are based on the number of asylum claims, and those numbers are going down. We have cut claims by 60%. Our changes will save $200 million a year within three years. Our plan is working.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I am actually very glad to receive this question today because the Parliamentary Budget Officer verified, today, what we have known all along. That is that the reasons for the costs are tied to volumes, and volumes are coming down. We have substantially reduced the asylum numbers by 60%. Within three years, there will be $200 million in annual savings from changes to the supplemental coverage that we have put in place. We are taking action and it is working.

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Melissa Lantsman

Conservative
“The minister is failing at her job and avoiding hard questions. Will she stay for all four hours at the committee meeting on Thursday to answer our questions?”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, when Canadians know that nothing she is doing is working and half the people sitting beside her are saying the same thing out loud, it stops being opposition criticism and it starts being a pattern with the minister. She cannot handle the hard questions from across the aisle. She needs to get a grip on what is actually happening in her ministry. The minister refused to answer a question yesterday. On Thursday, she has four hours at committee to make it right. Will she be there for the full four hours, or will we finally get somebody who is competent at their job?

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Lena Metlege Diab

Liberal
“I already agreed to attend the meeting for all four hours. Asylum claimants pay taxes too. They get work permits, and in 2023, the taxes they paid equaled the amount of help they received.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I do not know what that member does not understand. I have said yes. I will be there for the four hours. There is nothing magical about that. That is exactly why I am here. Let me continue, though, about the Parliamentary Budget Officer. Let me remind people that claimants are not just service users. They are also taxpayers. The people she is talking about are real human beings. We give them work permits. In 2023, the budget officer confirmed, the amount that went into general revenue for this population equated the amounts that they were getting.

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Dan Mazier

Conservative

Linked statement

“A new report shows nearly 74,000 rejected asylum seekers can still get free health benefits like physiotherapy and home care, even if they are wanted by police. I want the government to explain why these people get better health care than working Canadians.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I am really glad that the hon. member brought up the Parliamentary Budget Officer, because she just released a damning report revealing that nearly 74,000 rejected asylum claimants remain eligible for luxury health care benefits under the Liberals’ interim federal health program. This includes rejected asylum claimants who are listed as wanted for failing to show up at their removal proceedings, yet under the Liberals, all of these claimants still qualify for luxury health benefits like physiotherapy, counselling and home care. Why are the Liberals providing better health care to rejected asylum claimants than to hard-working Canadians?

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Steven MacKinnon

Liberal
“Our government has reduced the number of temporary residents and asylum seekers, and we saved Canadians money. The minister will answer more questions this week to defend this work. The Conservatives need to explain why they oppose giving health care to vulnerable people fleeing war in Ukraine.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the minister has just gone through and, this Thursday, will again be going through extensive questioning. She will be defending results that have achieved incredible results in one year of government. We have reduced the number of temporary Canadians. We have reduced the number of asylum seekers. We have saved money for Canadians. The real question is why Conservatives are against providing health care to some of the most vulnerable people on this earth, including claimants from Ukrainian war zones?

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Michelle Rempel Garner

Conservative
“The Liberals let too many people into Canada too quickly, and our health care system cannot keep up. Millions of Canadians are waiting for basic medical care. Meanwhile, 74,000 people whose asylum claims were rejected are getting health benefits that cost hundreds of millions of dollars. These benefits should go to Canadians. Why has the government not removed these failed claimants from the country?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I do not think the Liberals understand ho w profoundly unfair the system is right now, to everybody. The Liberals brought too many non-citizens into Canada too fast for health care to keep up, and millions of Canadians are waiting for basic medical services. Today, the PBO showed that there are 74,000 failed asylum seekers, people who have bogus asylum claims, who are getting benefits like vision care. This is costing hundreds of millions of dollars. Premium health benefits should be going to Canadians, not to failed asylum claimants who should be removed from Canada. Why are they not?

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Lena Metlege Diab

Liberal
“Our health program covers only basic, temporary care for people who cannot get provincial health care yet. It is not for luxuries. We have cut the number of people using it by 60 percent since 2024, and we will keep cutting that number.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, let us do this one more time. This is what we are actually doing. The interim federal health program covers limited temporary health coverage to vulnerable people who are not yet eligible for provincial coverage. It covers essential services. It is not for luxury items, and the cost is tied to volumes. As I have said, over and over again, we have reduced that volume by 60% from 2024. We will keep reducing that pressure.

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Michelle Rempel Garner

Conservative
“The government is spending too much money on health benefits for failed asylum claimants who should be removed from Canada. That money could build a hospital. I want the minister to cancel these benefits.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the minister just said that the program is temporary. That is what it was designed to be, but the PBO said today that failed asylum claimants, people who are supposed to be removed from the country, are getting benefits like vision care and physiotherapy for years. That is why the cost is mushrooming year after year. A billion dollars could build a hospital. Instead, it is going to failed asylum claimants. That is not fair. Why will she not cancel these luxury benefits?

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Lena Metlege Diab

Liberal
“The parliamentary budget officer said our changes will save over 200 million dollars within three years. Our asylum reforms will also save more than 200 million dollars every year.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, this is what the PBO actually said today. The PBO said that within three years we will see substantial savings from changes to the supplemental coverage of $200‑plus million. We will also see another $200‑plus million in annual savings from the asylum reform measures that we took in Bill C-12. I thank the member for finally agreeing to put that law into action.

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