Doctor questions Kenney about refugee health care cuts

Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney faced more questions about cuts to refugee health care at a Chamber of Commerce event in Leduc, Alta., on Monday.

Dr. Sheila Wijayasinghe, a family physician from Toronto, travelled to Leduc to ask Kenney a question about recently announced cuts to the supplementary health care benefits refugees receive when they first arrive in Canada.

"I do feel it's mean spirited," Wijayasinghe told reporters afterwards. "I feel it's not compassionate. It's not a Canadian way of doing things."

Wijayasinghe wanted to know why Kenney won't meet with medical associations about the cuts and asked him to impose a moratorium.

"It is our moral obligation as physicians to come and speak out against these cuts," she said.

During a public question-and-answer session, Kenney said the decision is final. He believes most Canadians support the cuts, a comment that was met with loud applause.

Wijayasinghe is the latest physician to publicly challenge Kenney and other Conservative cabinet ministers at events across the country.

Kenney also faced opposition at another event in Edmonton on the weekend.

On Saturday, an Edmonton teenager who says he is a former refugee from Kenya was removed from a Conservative barbecue in Edmonton after he tried asking Kenney a question during a speech.

"The most I could say is, "Minister Kenney, my name is Bashir and I'm a refugee,'" Bashir Mohamed, 17, said on Monday.

Mohamed purchased a ticket to the event at the Alberta Aviation Museum and said he tried to talk to Kenney before his speech.

Mohamed was removed from the event but not charged.