Skip to content

Unethical cuts to refugee health

The proposed cuts to the Interim Federal Health Program effective July 1 (Canada Day), are shameful.

The proposed cuts to the Interim Federal Health Program effective July 1 (Canada Day), are shameful.

Like the refugee families Sunnybrook United Church has sponsored over the past decade, refugees have endured war, torture and other forms of violence, often living in refugee camps for years, and arrive in Canada with little or no resources, looking for a safe country to raise their children and start a new life.

The federal government’s justification for the cuts to IFHP is to save money. The health and well-being of vulnerable individuals is at stake but it appears once again that the economy triumphs.

Denying access to much needed dental, vision and prescription coverage is both unethical and inhumane and is also in direct violation with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by UN General Assembly in 1948.

The cuts are also inconsistent with Canadian values. Do we want a society that will not care for the most vulnerable among us?

As Gandhi once said, “A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.” My Canada would treat its weakest members with care!

Shirley Challoner

Member of the Sunnybrook United Church

Refugee Committee