While I was away: Refugees

Refugee articles I found interesting:

Proposal to radically change how asylum seekers are settled in Canada heard by MPs

Getting some attention but not clear whether the government prepared to go there:

Canada should consider adopting the German model of distributing asylum seekers across the country based on tax revenues and local population, a parliamentary committee has heard.

The idea would be to more fairly share the burden of settling those seeking protection.

Barutciski: Fixing our asylum-seeker policy offers a chance to show a Canada that can work together

…While our southern neighbours exhibit the opposite dynamic, with polarized red and blue states using migration to deliberately provoke each other, Canada can distinguish itself through a functioning Parliament that shows how a federation is supposed to work. Not only would the noble idea of solidarity relieve pressure in a practical sense, it would also signal that Canada remains strong at a critical time in its history.

Thousands of failed refugee claimants may be eligible to keep federal health benefits, new report finds

Brings out the usual divide between refugee advocates and those concerned about possibly incentivizing claims:

Thousands of refugee claimants who have had their cases rejected and are facing deportation may remain eligible for publicly funded health benefits, including dental coverage and counselling, according to a new report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer. 

The analysis of the Interim Federal Health Program, which provides health coverage for refugees and refugee claimants until they are eligible for provincial health plans and benefits, found that the annual cost of the program reached $822-million in 2024-25 and was fuelled in part by long waits to have cases heard.

The PBO report, published on Tuesday, found that nearly 74,000 “failed refugee claimants” may remain eligible for coverage. They may be able to obtain such benefits for years if they appeal their cases, including in Federal Court. 

Dental care represented a large share of spending in 2024-25, the report found, followed by prescription medication. Urgent dental spending increased to $257-million from $30-million over five years. The cost of counselling services rose to $38.7-million in 2024-25, while home health visits cost more than $12-million.