According to the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and United States, “refugee claimants are required to request refugee protection in the first safe country they arrive in, unless they have qualified for an exception to the agreement.”
Because the recent border crossers in Manitoba and Quebec obviously came from the U.S. and have traveled through the United States, the important question is this : What are these refugee claimants doing in Canada? They should have been returned to the U.S. In fact, unless they can prove that they did not come from the U.S., they should have been returned to the U.S. almost immediately. In my view, by not returning these border crossers to the U.S., Justin Trudeau has violated the Canada–U.S. Safe Country agreement. His motive : to import as many votes as possible.
Furthermore, at least some of these border crossers have claimed refugee status in the U.S. For those claimants whom the U.S. has not yet rejected, the U.S. process should be allowed to take its course and those border crossers should be in the U.S. as the process continues. For those whom the U.S. has already rejected, Canada should not waste its time processing.
Trudeau takes his direction from George Soros, the multi-billionaire who supports civil unrest in many countries and believes in open borders.
At the end of the day, Canadian authorities will refuse many of the refugee claims and the claimants will be sent back to the United States. Trudeau is aware of this but simply can’t avoid grandstanding as the protector of the world’s so-called “persecuted”. I believe he is victimizing the refugee claimants further by offering them false hope to stay in Canada.
In the meantime, Canadians are responsible for providing free services (health care and other) to those with refugee claims as they move through Canada’s refugee system.
On March 22, 2016 Stephanie Levitz of Canadian Press wrote that the total cost of the Syrian Refugee Program may cost up to $1 Billion to resettle 25,000 government assisted refugees. According to The National Post, the Syrian Refugee programme cost is closer to $1.2 billion. As of 2016 the budgeted cost of the Interim Federal Health Program is $51 million.
Specifically, Canada’s Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) has to provide health care to recent border crossers as well as to protected persons such as resettled refugees, rejected claimants, and immigration detainees, along with other groups identified by the minister.
That means that the border crossers and those in other categories will receive free health care until they become permanent residents or until they leave of their own accord or are forced to leave once their case is denied by the Refugee Appeal Department (RAD) and/or Supreme court. An average case can last from two to five years. Some last upwards of ten years or more. During this time, Canadians have to pay for the cost of health care provided to anyone claiming refugee status, regardless of whether the claims are false.
The following is a description of the health services refugee claimants receive : in-patient and out-patient hospital services such as services from medical doctors, registered nurses and other health-care professionals licensed in Canada. These services include pre- and post-natal care ; laboratory, diagnostic and ambulance services.
Refugee claimants can also receive Supplemental coverage such as limited vision and urgent dental care ; home care and long-term care ; services from allied health-care practitioners including clinical psychologists, psychotherapists, counselling therapists, occupational therapists, speech language therapists and physiotherapists.
In addition, they can obtain assistive devices, medical supplies and equipment, including orthopedic and prosthetic equipment. The equipment includes such things as mobility aids, hearing aids, diabetic supplies, incontinence supplies and oxygen equipment.
Canada’s Interim health-care programme also provides prescription drug coverage (most prescription medications and other products listed on provincial/territorial public drug plan formularies).
Finally, Canada’s Interim Health plan pays for the cost of one Immigration Medical Exam (IME), and IME-related diagnostic tests required under the Immigration Refugee Protection Act.
Since April 1st, 2017, refugees who are traveling from overseas refugee camps to Canada receive not just a free Medical examination required for immigration, but Vaccinations; Treatment of disease outbreaks in refugee camps; and Medical support during travel to Canada
Here is the question I have for all Canadians : WHAT’S IN YOUR HEALTHCARE? I suspect it’s nothing close to what refugee claimants are getting.
