8,500 asylum seekers still housed on taxpayer dime
The federal government continues to fund housing for thousands of asylum seekers, even after winding down its controversial hotel program that accommodated more than 61,000 claimants over five years.

Approximately 8,500 asylum seekers were still receiving housing support through the Interim Housing Assistance Program between January 1 and September 30, 2025, according to a recent response to an Order Paper Question in the House of Commons.
That figure, notably, is based on self-reported data from provinces and municipalities and has not been verified by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Guess what the latest immigration numbers show?
— Tamara Ugolini 🇨🇦 (@TamaraUgo) August 15, 2025
Aside from the mass immigration boom continuing as Carneys promise to get things under control crumbles
A 🧵 pic.twitter.com/Ls4yBgEeVw
The same federal response confirms that from 2020 to 2025, Ottawa directly operated hotels to house asylum claimants, citing pandemic-related pressures and strain on provincial shelter systems. In total, more than 61,000 asylum seekers were accommodated in hotels at taxpayer expense before the program was fully shut down on September 30, 2025.
Canada's immigration crisis reveals 3M temporary residents strain housing, healthcare, & jobs; 1 in 5 workers are non-Canadian, sidelining citizens in a tough market
— Tamara Ugolini 🇨🇦 (@TamaraUgo) July 25, 2025
NCC Director @alexbrown17 demands Canada hire Canadians first, end the reliance on cheap foreign labour & close… https://t.co/dI5k6Lrkf1
Meanwhile, the cost of providing health care to asylum seekers has surged.
Federal data shows the average annual cost per claimant under the Interim Federal Health Program has nearly tripled in less than a decade, rising from $880 in 2016/2017 to $2,355 in 2024/2025.
Ontario reported the highest per-claimant costs in the most recent fiscal year at $2,595, followed by Quebec at $2,217 and Alberta at $1,934. Some regions saw dramatic spikes over time, including Yukon, where the per-claimant cost jumped to $4,050 in 2024–2025.
I moved a motion to order the production of complete and fully unredacted documents across several federal health programs focused on transparency, decision-making, and financial accountability.
— Matt Strauss (@strauss_matt) March 24, 2026
Instead of supporting this, Liberal members are now filibustering to block it.
If… pic.twitter.com/cBhzmqZf5m
The federal government has not provided a total cumulative cost for the hotel program or ongoing housing supports, nor does it verify provincial reporting on how many claimants are currently being housed.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.
COMMENTS
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Fran g commented 2026-03-28 12:36:38 -0400Liberals are rotten to the core. We must get rid of them.