Ottawa cut therapy sessions for refugees to 10 hours per year. Now some are pushing back – CBC
New limit was quietly introduced, surprising therapists and clients alike
Jun 22, 2026
When the federal government introduced supplemental health copayments for asylum seekers and refugee claimants earlier this spring, it also quietly brought in a 10-hour yearly cap on mental health sessions for them, CBC News has learned.
Mental health practitioners have been lobbying for a reversal since, with limited success.
No cap previously existed, meaning both groups have lost a system of potentially unlimited mental health sessions, virtually overnight.
The federal government in early May introduced a 30 per cent copayment scheme for supplemental health benefits, such as dental care, optometry and therapy for refugee claimants and asylum seekers under its Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP). It did not make changes to basic health care.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/therapy-cuts-capifhp-mental-health-9.7241204
