When Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government dismisses legitimate criticism of Canada’s immigration and refugee policies as racism, it is essentially calling most Canadians racist.

This is nothing new for the Liberals.

GOLDSTEIN: Criticizing flawed immigration and refugee policies is not racism Back to video

It was the same tactic the Justin Trudeau government employed.

It dismissed public criticism of its high immigration/refugee policies until Trudeau himself finally admitted in April 2024 that immigration levels had, “grown at a rate far beyond what Canada has been able to absorb” and reduced future targets for permanent and temporary residents and refugees.

That issue surfaced again last week when the Conservatives proposed changes to the interim federal health program, which provides health benefits to refugee claimants – including those whose claims have been rejected – better than what many taxpayers receive.

The cost of the program, $60 million when it was initiated in 2016, providing health-care services to less than 100,000 refugee claimants, has increased to almost $1 billion today for more than 600,000 claimants according to a report by the parliamentary budget officer, rising to a predicted $1.5 billion by 2029-30.

The Conservatives proposed a review of the program to find savings, to restrict........

© Edmonton Sun