Federal Government: Medical Care

Refugee Claimants Dept: Up until June 30, 2012, the federal government covered the costs of drugs and medical care including dentistry and vision care for refugee claimants until they had been in Canada long enough for provincial coverage to kick in, according to Globe and Mail. The government said the cuts were intended to ensure refugee claimants weren t getting better benefits than Canadian citizens, but a government-wide search to save billions in spending also played a role in the decision and the series of emails and memos released under Access to Information laws seem to contradict Mr. Kenney s assertion in June that benefits for resettled refugees were never meant to be axed. But in April, the government announced an end to almost all supplemental health care benefits, slashing coverage in most cases to care only when it was a public health emergency. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.