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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

During question period on immigration, Conservative members asked whether federal money is being used to fund municipalities buying hotels to house asylum seekers, calling it wasteful during a recession and asking the minister to admit the government pays for the hotels. A Conservative member also asked why 74,000 rejected asylum claimants remain in Canada receiving coverage under the interim federal health program, and when they would be deported. Liberal members replied that hotels are no longer used to house refugee claimants, that the government is working with municipalities on longer-term housing supports, and that the interim federal health program has existed since the 1950s with support from both parties, covering a small share of the population at a small share of health spending.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

6 statements

Fred Davies

Conservative

Linked statement

“Cities like Ottawa and Pickering are using public money to buy hotels to house asylum seekers. With Canada in a recession, I want the minister to admit that the government is paying for these hotels.”

  • A repeated line

    “Why is Canada the only G7 country in a recession?”

    Said 16 times by 13 members since May 29.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, last night, the Minister of Immigration tried to dodge a very simple question. When asked whether taxpayer dollars are being used to buy hotels for asylum claimants, she attempted to rebrand them as “reception centres”. Canadians know the facts. Municipalities like Ottawa and Pickering have already used millions of dollars in public funds to purchase hotels to house asylum claimants. Changing the label does not change the reality. With Canada now the only G7 country in a recession, will the minister stop hiding behind bureaucratic language and finally confirm the Liberals are funding municipalities to purchase hotels for asylum claimants?

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Peter Fragiskatos

Liberal
“The Conservatives keep attacking refugees instead of offering real, legal solutions. Their claims have no merit. We are working with communities on long-term housing for everyone.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 17 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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  • Government answer in Question Period

    Signal 30 of 100

    Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

    See full analysis
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, there is a pattern here with the Conservative questions on immigration. I have great respect for that member. We work together on the immigration committee. However, instead of putting meaningful reform forward that is constitutional, they go back to refugees constantly. That is not an illegitimate issue, but the way they frame it rings familiar. It is right-wing populism. He knows, because we have heard about it at committee, that there is no merit to those points. We are working with communities on long-term housing solutions for everyone.

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Fred Davies

Conservative
“The government is wasting millions of dollars helping cities buy hotels for asylum seekers during a recession. I want the minister to answer directly: is the government paying cities to buy these hotels?”

  • A repeated line

    “Why is Canada the only G7 country in a recession?”

    Said 16 times by 13 members since May 29.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, with Canada now the only G7 country in a recession, Canadians cannot understand why the government continues wasting millions of dollars through government programs that fund municipalities to buy hotels for asylum claimants. A hotel does not stop being a hotel because the Liberals rename it a “reception centre”. Canadians are tired of political spin and word games, as families struggle with rising costs and economic uncertainty. Will the minister stop misleading Canadians and answer a question directly? Is the Liberal government funding municipalities to buy hotels for asylum claimants?

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Peter Fragiskatos

Liberal
“We stopped using hotels to house refugee claimants a while ago. We are still working with cities to help them handle the global refugee crisis.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the member knows, because he works on the House of Commons committee responsible for immigration, that for some time now, hotels have not been used to resettle refugee claimants. We are certainly working with municipalities to assist in a variety of ways. We know that the global displacement crisis that has been in effect since 2015 has certainly created challenges for Canada and other democracies. We are there for municipalities in response. We will continue to do that. I look forward to the report on the matter that is upcoming in committee as well.

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Burton Bailey

Conservative
“There are 74,000 rejected refugee claimants still in Canada getting free health care that Canadians do not get. When will the government stop paying for their health care and deport them?”

  • A repeated line

    “Canada is the only G20 country in a recession.”

    Said 104 times by 61 members since May 29.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, 74,000 rejected asylum claimants still in Canada whom the government refuses to deport are under the bloated interim federal health program. The Liberals rejected them for a reason. While Canada is the only G7 country in a recession, these fraudsters still get taxpayer-funded health care, such as physio and counselling, but Canadians do not. End the handouts, and the fraudsters will go. When will the Liberal government cut the supplementary health care handout for fake refugee fugitives and finally deport them?

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Peter Fragiskatos

Liberal
“Both parties have supported health care for refugee claimants since the 1950s. Claimants make up less than 1% of our population, and their health care costs less than 0.2% of our total health spending. We have a duty to help them.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, that was almost on cue. I guess the member did not have time to revise the question. There the Conservatives go again about refugee claimants. The members knows or should know that the interim federal health program has been in existence since the 1950s, supported by successive Conservative and Liberal governments. Let us also continue with the facts. Refugee claimants comprise less than 1% of the total population. That program, the interim federal health program, makes up less than 0.2% of the total health care spending in Canada. We have an obligation to respond in a compassionate way and also in a responsible way.

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