EDITORIAL: Trudeau shirking on refugee costs
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How many refugee claimants Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has encouraged or welcomed to come to Canada is no longer the issue.
They’re here, they’re straining social services, and Trudeau and the Liberals are acting like deadbeat parents.
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EDITORIAL: Trudeau shirking on refugee costs Back to video
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Successfully integrating refugee claimants into our society is a long, difficult and expensive process.
It starts right after politicians, such as Trudeau, stop taking selfies with them.
Refugee claimants are different from immigrants.
They have often suffered trauma and psychological, physical and sexual abuse, leading to multiple medical issues.
They have immediate needs for food and shelter.
They and their children often need English as a second language instruction.
Understandably, it takes them longer to find employment, permanent housing and to end their reliance on community services such as food banks.
Almost 40% of Toronto’s emergency shelter system is now occupied by refugee claimants and the city has been scrambling to house them in everything from regular shelter beds, to college dorms to hotels.
One of which the city even considered buying, before deciding against the idea.
It’s not just in Toronto, or Ontario, where Premier Doug Ford’s government says the Trudeau Liberals have only reimbursed the province for a fraction of the $200 million it has already spent accommodating refugee claimants.
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The same thing has happened in Quebec — where most irregular/illegal asylum seekers cross into Canada — and in Manitoba, another border crossing site.
The root problem is the Trudeau government — and, in fairness, previous governments, have done much the same — sets refugee policy without meaningful consultation with cities and provinces, that end up bearing the bulk of the costs.
The response of the Trudeau government to the expression of such legitimate concerns has been to falsely accuse those raising them of fear-mongering about refugee claimants, which is nonsense.
This is an issue about providing adequate funding and resources so provinces and cities can provide proper support to refugee claimants.
While the Trudeau government has been earmarking some money for this, it hasn’t provided the necessary amounts to do the job right.
We all know Trudeau loves boasting about Canada’s diversity and willingness to assist refugees.
Given that, it’s time for him to take responsibility for the increased costs to other levels of government his refugee policies have created.
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