Immigration Minister Chris Alexander says the federal government will comply with a Federal Court ruling that calls on the Conservatives to introduce more inclusive health-care coverage for refugees until such time as an appeal is heard.
“We will comply [with] the Federal Court’s direction, while our appeal will continue,” Alexander said in a post on Twitter Monday morning.
The government has until the end of today to review a 2012 policy the Federal Court deemed unconstitutional, “cruel and unusual” last July.
The government had asked for a stay until an appeal is heard, but that request was rejected on Friday.
“Our goal today is to provide clarity to those who seek access to [the interim federal health program] IFHP,” Alexander said in another post on Twitter.
In a third post, Alexander added that the government’s “focus will continue to be providing access to resettled refugees and successful asylum claimants.”
The messages were posted on Twitter moments before Liberal MP John McCallum held a press conference in Ottawa.
“I just heard literally three minutes ago that the government has sent out a tweet saying that they would comply, it appears, but then they sent out another tweet saying that their focus would be on established refugees, which is contrary to the court’s order.”
McCallum accused the government of sending out “contradictory messages.”
He called on the Conservatives to “unequivocally” indicate that they will reinstate the program as it existed before the government scaled back the coverage for refugees in 2012.
