Liberals fail to block audit of healthcare spending for asylum claimants

Liberal MPs attempted to block a motion to audit the Interim Federal Health Program. This program provides more health care services than the average Canadian receives to non-permanent residents.

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Liberal MPs attempted to block a motion to audit the Interim Federal Health Program. This program provides more health care services than the average Canadian receives to non-permanent residents, including individuals whose asylum claims have been denied.

During a House of Commons’ health committee meeting on Thursday, Conservatives brought forward a motion to summon the Auditor General and Parliamentary Budget Officer to “conduct a fiscal analysis” on the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) by early next year.

The motion calls on the auditor general to conduct a “comprehensive audit on the program to examine the significant increase in costs, usage and impacts on provincial healthcare systems” by February 7, 2026 and the Parliamentary Budget Officer to project “future expenses and assess the drivers behind recent significant cost and usage increases by January 30, 2026.”

The two will also be invited separately to present and discuss their respective findings “if they publish a report.”

In September, the government revealed in an Order Paper Question submitted by Conservative MP Rachael Thomas that the program’s cost has ballooned by over 1,100 per cent in just nine years of the Liberals being in government.

The data revealed that taxpayer spending in the IFHP rose from $66 million in 2016-17 to a preliminary estimate of $821,191,548 “so far” in September 2025-26, a 1,144 per cent increase. The Conservative health committee motion on Thursday noted that it was a final $797.2 million in 2024-25.

The total number of program claims rose from 84,967 users in 2016-17 to 426,750 in 2024-25, an increase of more than 400 per cent in less than a decade.

In Quebec, the number rose from 11,900 users in 2016-17 to 108,440 in 2024-25, an over nine-fold increase in the same period.

Over the course of several Health Committee meetings this year, it was revealed that healthcare providers often charge individuals they know are covered by the IFHP up to five times more than the average Canadian. Conservatives have accused the government of signing checks with little oversight or fiscal prudence.

“During the health committees’ study on the impacts of immigration policy on health care in Canada, the committee heard testimony regarding a lack of program oversight, questionable billing practices, and a sharp rise in program usage and costs for the Interim Federal Health Program,” the passed motion reads.

Liberals attempted to filibuster the motion as it was presented during a meeting, while witnesses were being questioned by parliamentarians.

“With the witnesses being here, I think we’re kind of getting to the heart of the problem, and how we can address this problem, the problem before and credentialing. We have some excellent people here that I would like to be asking questions of,” Liberal MP Marcus Powlowski said. “Instead, we’re going down this rabbit hole, which is really a spending issue. We’re the Health Committee. This is an issue of spending and the efficiency of spending.”

He accused the Conservatives of distracting from other issues, such as cancer or the opioid crisis, and only caring about the issue to appeal to conservatives who don’t like the idea of their money going to “foreigners.”

Conservative MPs Burton Bailey and Dan Mazier said they could just vote on the issue and then return to speaking with witnesses. But Liberals continued to complain about the time being taken away from witnesses rather than just getting the vote done and returning to business.

The motion passed five to four, with Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois voting in favour, and Liberal members voting against the motion to audit the program.

On Tuesday, under Conservative pressure, the immigration minister, Lena Metlege Diab, revealed that asylum claimants whose applications have been denied are still receiving services from the IFHP. She said that after their immigration process is fully complete, including any appeals to their claim, which could take years, the IFHP still covers them.

Later, an immigration official said individuals remain eligible for the program until they leave Canada, whether voluntarily or after being removed by border officers.

Conservatives have criticized the IFHP for providing services that many Canadians don’t have or have to pay for themselves, such as pharmaceuticals, vision care, counselling, assistive devices, prosthetics, home care, nursing homes, physiotherapy, and occupational speech therapy.