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The federal government incurs an average cost of about $ 14,000 for every asylum seeker entering Canada outside of the legal borders, a cost that is expected to increase as the backlog increases. in business, according to Canada's budget watchdog.
In a report released Thursday titled Cost of Irregular Migration Across Canada's Southern Border, Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux said the total cost of the claims process had risen. approximately $ 340 million in 2017-18, which is expected to increase to $ 396 million in 2019-20.
The federal government has provided an additional $ 173 million over two years in this year's budget to cover the additional costs badociated with asylum seekers entering Canada outside of the legal borders, but Mr. Giroux stated that " these amounts are significantly lower. "
"Our estimates suggest that they have not budgeted enough, which will result in a delay in processing at the Immigration and Refugee Board," he said.
The $ 173 million was based on 5,000 to 8,000 people, instead of the current 23,000 a year, Giroux said.
The costs recorded in the report relate to federal organizations such as the RCMP; Canada Border Services Agency; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Immigration and Refugee Board do not include costs incurred by provinces, territories or municipalities to cover the costs of social services.
Ontario, for example, has estimated the costs of asylum seekers arriving beyond official borders at about $ 200 million a year.
The report comes at a time when the City of Toronto has submitted a new request from the federal government for an additional $ 64.5 million to address "unsustainable" operational and financial pressures related to asylum seekers and refugees. of refugees.
About 40% of shelter users are asylum seekers and refugees, up from 11% in early 2016 and 25% at the end of 2017, according to the city.
Toronto asks $ 64.5 million
Toronto is requesting $ 64.5 million to reimburse costs, as well as permanent and stable funding of $ 43 million a year starting in 2019.
"The city can not do it alone." The federal government has offered initial badistance, but we need the continued badistance of our federal and provincial partners to make Toronto a safe, welcoming place. and accessible to all, "said Mayor John. Tory in a statement.
In June, the federal government announced a $ 50 million contribution for Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba. Ontario's share of $ 11 million went directly to Toronto after the provincial government ridiculed that amount.
The Progressive Conservative government of Doug Ford has asked for $ 200 million to cover the costs of social badistance, housing and education.
The cost per asylum seeker ranges from around $ 10,000 for a simple case where the claim is accepted at around $ 34,000 for a more complex case where the claimant exhausts all appeals and is deported.
Giroux said that the increase in the number of asylum seekers results in increased costs due to the backlog of cases. Costs increase, in part because refugee claimants are entitled to the interim federal health benefit for the entire period.
"The increase in backlog means that individuals have to stay in limbo for a number of years, and we estimate that it could reach five or six years in some cases," he said. -he declares.
The numbers are absolutely shocking
Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel said some of the figures in the report were "absolutely shocking", since the total cost for a single asylum seeker could be around gross salary of a minimum wage worker in Canada.
"I can only think that between 2017 and the next fiscal year, the Prime Minister has chosen to spend $ 1.1 billion for basically abuses of our asylum system," she said. declared.
Mr. Rempel said that the Conservatives would formally request the federal Auditor General to undertake a comprehensive audit of the overall costs to the government.
Tens of thousands of people have entered Canada outside of official borders in the last year, mainly in Quebec and Manitoba.
The costs of their accommodation and the question of who should pay have become major political issues in cities like Toronto and Montreal, which are under pressure to host and support newcomers.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer agreed last June with Conservative MP Larry Maguire to proceed with an overall accounting transaction by adding up the costs hitherto incurred by these migrants and indicating how much the accelerated pace of Irregular migration could cost Canada in the future.
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