A Guatemalan man named Byron took a political stand against the injustice in his country. As a result, his family was murdered before his eyes. Byron managed to escape to Canada, but upon arrival, he was told that he could not receive health care coverage because his country was not considered a designated refugee state.
He was soon after diagnosed with cancer but could not return to Guatemala for care because he would certainly be killed, so after five years of working, paying taxes in Canada, and trying to appeal his refugee denial, he died on the floor of his apartment.
Byron’s story, which was told in the Toronto Star on June 24 in “A new low for refugees,” is looking to be a more common theme as refugee health care coverage is in jeopardy.
Citizenship and Immigration Minister, Jason Kenney, proposed changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Balanced Refugee Reform Act to keep “bogus claimants” from receiving better health care coverage than Canadian taxpayers. As of June 30, only approved refugees will receive medical care. Privately sponsored refugees, including those sponsored by churches, will not.
Some Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) and Canadian School of Peacebuilding (CSOP) students are concerned that these funding cuts will diminish Canada’s reputation as a beacon of hope for truly vulnerable people and worsen their situation. So, as a part of their CSOP course, “Speaking Out… And Being Heard: Citizen Advocacy,” taught by Stuart Clark, Rianna Isaak, Matthew Dueck, Cecily Hildebrand, Maureen Gathogo, and Deanna Zantigh started the 59 Cents Campaign.
The campaign encourages Canadians to send 59 cents to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Fifty-nine cents is the cost per capita for refugees to receive health care.
According to Dueck, a third year International Development and Peace and Conflict Transformation student at CMU, the campaign addresses the fact that “the government is trying to cut back on people taking advantage of our health care system, but people are being hugely victimized [in the process.]” People like Byron are the victims of these cuts.
From June 28-July 2 there were 50,000 views to the campaign’s Facebook page, 181 news articles or blog articles written about the campaign, and Jenny Sims, Federal Immigration critic tweeted about the campaign.
Stephanie Coughlan, 23, who attends Springstein Mennonite Church, participated in the 59 cents campaign with her husband, Tim, 25. For Coughlan, it is an important part of her faith to care for “the least of these.”
“My faith community has taught me important values of love, caring for the least of these, hospitality, and being welcoming. I believe that when we accept refugees into this country, we do have an obligation to care for them.”
“Cutting services to vulnerable people goes very much against these values from my faith,” she said.
Though a representative for Minister Kenney denies that concessions have been made in the wake of a great deal of opposition to these cuts, Dueck believes the letters have made a difference, and so does Mennonite Central Committee.
Ed Wiebe, National Refugee Program Coordinator at MCC Canada, jokes that the 59 cents campaign should be asking for some of their money back, as the government has retreated about one third of the way.
Dueck says they will still be sending in 59 cents.
“We have made some progress! The government has conceded to about a third of what we have asked for. We ask people to still send in 59 cents, not 19 or 39 because we want to push forward,” Dueck said.
According to Alexis Pavlich, Press Secretary to Minister Kenney, the government has not ceded.
“We have taken steps to ensure that protected persons and asylum seekers from non-safe countries receive health care coverage that is on the same level as Canadian taxpayers receive through their provincial health coverage, no better.”
“Bogus claimants from safe countries and failed asylum seekers with not receive access to health care overage, unless it is to protect public health and safety,” she said.
She went on to say that groups of government sponsored refugees will not lose coverage for any drugs that they had covered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees while living in a refugee camp.
“The original wording did not make this intention clear, which is why the language of the policy was modified,” she said.
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