This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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In a strongly worded statement on Friday, The Federal Court ruled against Ottawa’s cutbacks to health-care coverage for refugee claimants. The federal court ruled that the cutbacks are unconstitutional because they constitute “cruel and unusual” treatment. Several organizations – including the Canadian Doctors for Refugee Care, the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers and Justice for Children and Youth – have appreciated the decision, along with two refugee claimants who challenged the law.
However, the Immigration Minister Chris Alexander mentioned soon after the ruling that Ottawa would be appealing the decision. He mentioned that “we remain committed to putting the interests of Canadians and genuine refugees first” and added that “failed claimants and those from safe countries like the U.S. or Europe should not be entitled to better health care than Canadians receive. We will vigorously defend the interests of Canadian taxpayers and the integrity of our fair and generous refugee determination system.”
Medical benefits for most newcomers were curtailed by Ottawa in 2012, leaving them with basic, essential health care without supplemental, such as vision and dental care. However, doctors in Ontario and Quebec acted against the decision and continued providing health care for refugee claimants. A founding member of Canadian Doctors for Refugee Care, Philip Berger, mentioned that “all of the doctors I know who treat refugee claimants do not turn them away.” He added that “however, we know a majority of physicians in clinics in various cities across Canada who will not accept refugee claimants as patients because they have no confidence in the federal government.”
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