Mr. Speaker, there has been no reduction in health insurance for medically necessary physician and hospital services through the IFHP for refugee claimants. What the member is talking about is a different category of people. She is talking about rejected asylum claimants, people who by definition are not refugees. These are people who, according to our fair and generous legal system, do not have a well-founded fear of persecution, people who no longer have a right to be in Canada and who are delaying their removal from the country. Taxpayers have no obligation to provide them with health insurance any more than they do to illegal immigrants.
In the House of Commons on November 30th, 2012. See this statement in context.