The Commons health committee voted 5-4 last week for a special audit of the half-billion-dollar medical fund for illegal immigrants and refugee claimants to determine if their coverage is better than that of taxpayers.

Conservative MP Dan Mazier, citing that “Six-and-a-half million Canadians don’t have a family doctor,” moved for the Auditor General to “conduct a comprehensive audit of the Interim Federal Health Program to examine the significant increase in costs, usage and impacts on provincial health care systems.”

The program covering medical expenses for refugee claimants and illegal immigrants is budgeted at $598 million this year, as reported by Blacklock’s. Last year, 426,750 people qualified for coverage, a 400% increase in under 10 years, as reported to the health committee.

MPs vote 5-4 to call auditors on $598M medical benefits for refugees & illegal immigrants after @CitImmCanada exec claims foreigners get no better coverage than taxpayers.  https://t.co/tTMxjOzLTB #cdnpoli @DanMazierMP @BurtonBaileyRD @LenaMetlegeDiab pic.twitter.com/1YX8ULTc78

— Blacklock's Reporter (@mindingottawa) November 21, 2025

Conservative MP Burton Bailey claimed asylum seekers and illegal immigrants receive better health care than the Canadian taxpayers funding it — a claim Assistant Deputy Immigration Minister Soyoung Park disputed.

“I am not sure I would describe it as better health care,” said Assistant Deputy Park. “I sure would,” replied MP Bailey. “I sure would, when I look at the billing.”

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MP Bailey suggested that the system, as it is, is being abused, stating that individuals with “bogus asylum claims” are receiving Canadian taxpayer-funded health care, including dental, vision, medical devices, and mental health services, benefits that many Canadians lack.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller says illegal immigrants entering Canada from the US "are not welcome."

Ironically, PM Trudeau infamously said "#WelcomeToCanada" in response to Trump's travel ban on several unstable countries like Syria and Yemen almost exactly 8 years ago. pic.twitter.com/oqXFwMmMAO

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) January 15, 2025

Liberal MP Doug Eyolfson opposed calling rejected refugee claimants “bogus,” even though former immigration minister Marc Miller denounced foreigners who “exploit the generosity of Canadians” with illegitimate claims.

Liberal MP Marcus Powlowski criticized the motion as misguided, arguing the committee should focus on actual health issues instead of appealing to a “Conservative notion” that Canada is “wasting money on these foreigners.” He disagreed with devoting time to an issue designed to appeal to a base wanting to hear that “too many foreigners” use Canadian health services.

Fake refugees dine at our expense, claims take 44 months to process: report

The Department of Immigration is slammed by more than 200,000 asylum claimants, a shocking new record that will cost taxpayers $16.35 billion annually.https://t.co/4Ww2h1LaxS

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) November 26, 2024

Immigration Minister Lena Diab told the Commons health committee on November 18 that “Many who are arriving are doctors," offering no figures, while discussing immigration's health-care impact. This year, the Immigration Levels Plan will allow over one million foreigners to enter Canada.

Diab avoided questions about health-care capacity and unprecedented immigration levels. When asked about Canadians without a family doctor, she labelled it a “provincial” issue, despite Health Canada's previous 5.7 million estimate.

SecondStreet figures show over 3.2 million Canadians await health care, potentially closer to 5.1 million due to incomplete provincial data and missing reports from P.E.I. and Yukon.

Illegal crossings have surged — and our cameras caught some of it happening in real time! pic.twitter.com/j1ZJQwG4N1

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) July 28, 2025

Refugee claims have surged fivefold since 2022, from 54,000 to 290,000, creating a 44-month backlog, given the current capacity of 80,000 finalized cases per year.

Canada intends to admit 1.14 million new permanent residents, projecting a total increase of 2.2 million newcomers (temporary and permanent) over the next three years.