About 74,000 people whose refugee claims were rejected are still eligible for health care coverage in Canada, and a third of them are in the process of being removed from the country, according to a Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) report.
The May 26 report on Canada’s Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) also found that program spending totalled $822 million in the 2024-2025 fiscal year, with spending for that year averaging $1,500 per beneficiary.
“Since 2019-20, both claims and total spending have increased, with spending, particularly for basic and supplementary benefits, outpacing growth in claims,” the report said.
The IFHP was created in 1957 to provide limited and temporary health-care coverage to foreign nationals deemed vulnerable and disadvantaged. The program’s costs have surged in recent years, leading the Conservative Party to call for reforms and cuts to asylum seeker benefits….