The former Conservative government鈥檚 decision to cut refugee health care was 鈥渆conomically foolish鈥� and ended up costing more in the long run, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister John McCallum says.
The newly appointed minister that the Conservatives鈥� 2012 decision put pressure on not only the refugees denied access to health care, but also taxpayers.
鈥淚t might have saved a few dollars for the federal government, but people who are really sick don鈥檛 just die in the streets. They go to the emergency (rooms) and hospitals, and the cost of that is greater than the cost of what they would have received alternatively,鈥� said McCallum.
鈥淚t was economically foolish.鈥�
While McCallum could not say exactly how many refugees were affected by the cuts, he said it has had the legal and medical community 鈥渦p in arms.鈥� He also agreed with a Federal Court judge's ruling last year that called the government鈥檚 cuts 鈥渃ruel and unusual.鈥�
The new Liberal government has committed to reverse the cuts. McCallum said that while that change won鈥檛 happen overnight, it鈥檚 high on the government鈥檚 priority list when Parliament resumes on Dec. 3.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if it will be on the parliamentary agenda before Christmas, but what I can tell you is that certain things will happen quickly -- in a few months, if not a few weeks. And one of those is refugee health care.鈥�
Also high on McCallum鈥檚 priority list is the Liberal plan to speed up processing times for family reunification, as a part of a renewed approach to immigration.
鈥淧robably the biggest commitment in our platform in the medium term 鈥� is to bring down those processing times for families,鈥� said McCallum. 鈥淲e鈥檝e promised to have a new attitude where we welcome newcomers with a smile and not with a scowl.鈥�
In the short term, McCallum said the most pressing issue for his department is the Liberal commitment to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada by year鈥檚 end.
He said the government is still working toward that target, but is also determined to do proper security and health checks along the way. He said the public service is working 鈥渁round the clock,鈥� looking at every option to get Syrian refugees to Canada.
鈥淎ir transport, either commercially or through the air force, is possible, as is transport by ships. All of those things are being looked at and we will choose the most efficient and cost effective way to bring this about.鈥�
And they鈥檙e also examining where to house the refugees when they arrive, including military bases, through organizations like the Red Cross and with Syrian family members in Canada.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a plethora of options there and I suspect it will be a mix of more than one solution.鈥�
