Ottawa spent $1.9 billion housing asylum claimants since 2017, but cannot say how many are currently housed

Liberal immigration policies continue facing scrutiny as the cost-of-living crisis continues in Canada.

| September 22, 2026 | News Analysis | 3 Comments

The federal government has allocated approximately $1.9 billion to help provinces and municipalities house asylum claimants since 2017, but Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada cannot say how many people are currently living in facilities supported by the program.

The figures were disclosed in a response to an order paper question submitted by Conservative MP Fred Davies.

The Interim Housing Assistance Program pays provinces and municipalities to provide temporary accommodations and other housing support for asylum claimants. Eligible expenses include temporary housing, coordination, support services and the construction or acquisition of housing facilities.

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Despite the program’s $1.9-billion price tag, IRCC said it does not have access to operational or client-specific information showing how asylum claimants move from hotels into municipally owned or controlled housing.

The department also said it cannot confirm how many people are presently housed, how many have left the system or the real-time capacity of facilities receiving federal funding.

Since January 2025, recipients have been required to report the number of asylum claimants supported twice per year.

As of May 2026, IRCC estimated that approximately 15,000 claimants received housing support between January and September 2025. Municipalities and provinces projected they would support roughly 40,000 claimants between January 2025 and March 2027.

Those plans include more than 1,500 bed spaces and 350 transitional-housing or reception-centre units.

Toronto reported supporting 7,030 asylum claimants, followed by Ottawa with 3,490 and Peel Region with 3,170. Other recipients included Durham Region, Hamilton, York Region, Waterloo Region, London, Halton Region, Simcoe County, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.

IRCC said jurisdictions must report twice annually on expenditures and outcomes. The department acknowledged, however, that it has no real-time information about how many people are occupying the federally funded spaces.

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Canada’s immigration system must put Canadian citizens, Canadian workers and Canadian values first. Temporary foreign workers and international students should be required to leave when their permits expire, citizenship should not be granted to those who support terrorism or reject Canada’s laws and values, and the federal government must reverse the damaging consequences of unchecked mass migration. We call on Canada’s leaders to restore order, enforce the rules, and to protect Canadian jobs and communities.

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Sheila Gunn Reid

Chief Reporter

Sheila Gunn Reid is the Editor-in-Chief, Alberta Bureau Chief, member of the board of directors, and host of The Gunn Show at Rebel News. Sheila also serves as President of the Independent Press Gallery of Canada. A mother of three and longtime conservative activist, Sheila is the author of bestselling books, including her most recent release, Independence Blueprint: What Alberta Can Learn From Quebec.

https://mybook.to/sheila