Ottawa, ON — Today, Dan Mazier, Conservative Shadow Minister for Health, issued the following statement after the Health Committee voted to compel the Auditor General and Parliamentary Budget Officer to launch investigations into the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP):
“The cost to taxpayers for the IFHP has dramatically increased from $66 million in 2016 to over $821 million in 2024, with little explanation from the government. That’s why today, Conservatives on the Health Committee passed a motion to investigate why costs and usage of the IFHP have skyrocketed.
“Under the Liberals, the IFHP has expanded to cover supplementary benefits that many Canadians either cannot access or must pay for out of pocket, including vision care, counselling, home care, physiotherapy and speech therapy. In fact, there was over $456 million of taxpayer money spent on supplementary coverage in 2024/2025 alone.
“There has been an over 400% increase in people using the IFHP since the Liberals took power, from 84,967 users in 2016-17 to 426,750 in 2024-25. At the same time, the median Canadian medical wait time went from 20 to 30 weeks.
“According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, individuals whose claim for refugee protection has been rejected by the Immigration and Refugee Board remain eligible to receive IFHP benefits. Senior immigration officials revealed at the Health committee that rejected asylum claimants continue to receive IFHP benefits until they ‘depart’ Canada, raising serious accountability concerns.
“This is why, earlier today, Conservative Shadow Minister for Immigration announced our plan to remove the eligibility of migrants with failed asylum claims to claim any federal social benefits beyond emergency health care.
“We are compassionate people, but with 6.5 million Canadians lacking access to a family doctor, many are left wondering why rejected and bogus asylum claimants receive better health benefits than our own citizens.
“The committee also heard concerning testimony from doctors who revealed that physicians are taking advantage of taxpayers by charging significant premiums on services delivered under the IFHP, citing no maximum limits for certain services.
“This blatant mismanagement raises further concerns, following today’s report that Liberal Immigration Minister Lena Diab has discontinued mandatory medical exams for refugees coming to Canada.
“It’s disappointing that the Liberals were the only party that voted to block this investigation and keep the truth from Canadians. But Conservatives look forward to reviewing the Auditor General’s and Parliamentary Budget Officer’s reports and continuing to hold the Liberals accountable for their lack of accountability.”