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Canada Ends C$1.2B Hotel Program for Asylum Seekers

story

JUL 30

Above: Entrance to Hotel Terrasse Royale, base for the Ukrainian Reception Refugee Centre, in Montreal, Canada. Image copyright: Giordanno Brumas/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

story last updated JUL 30

The Spin

Right narrative

The hotel program represents fiscal irresponsibility during a housing crisis when Canadians struggle to find affordable accommodation. Spending C$1.2 billion on hotel rooms while citizens sleep in tents demonstrates misplaced priorities that undermine public support for immigration.

Winnipegsun

Left narrative

Ending hotel funding without adequate alternatives risks creating a humanitarian crisis, as municipal shelters are already at capacity and asylum seekers face discrimination in housing markets. The program saved lives and provided essential stability for vulnerable people fleeing persecution.

Radio