Today, the Liberal government voted against our proposal to restore fairness in Canada’s healthcare system. The motion was to halt the Liberals’ Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP), which provides better options to non-citizens and will cost taxpayers over $1.5 billion annually within the next 5 years.
At a time when 6 million Canadians cannot find a family doctor and families are waiting months for care, the government chose to maintain a costly program that continues to expand. At the same time, Canadians struggle to access basic services.
Canadians deserve a system that is fair, sustainable, and focused on the people who pay into it.
Motion Text:
That, given that:
(i) the cost of the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) has more than quadrupled in the last four years, from $211 million to $896 million,
(ii) the cost of the IFHP is projected to rise to $1.5 billion by 2029-2030,
(iii) the IFHP provides non-citizens with failed asylum claims access to benefits that Canadian citizens do not have free access to, including vision care,
(iv) Canadians who have paid into the healthcare system their whole lives are unable to get the healthcare they deserve in part because resources are going to false asylum claimants.
The House calls on the government to:
(a) review federal benefits provided to asylum claimants to find savings for taxpayers;
(b) restrict federal benefits received by rejected asylum claimants to emergency lifesaving healthcare only;
(c) provide transparency on federal spending on the IFHP by providing an annual report to Parliament, particularly regarding supplementary benefits which Canadian citizens do not have access to; and
(d) pass policies to expel foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes in Canada immediately.