Ontario is sending Ottawa the bill for the $2 million the province will spend this year on basic medical services for refugees, says Health Minister Eric Hoskins.

Bolstered by a Federal Court decision earlier this month that said Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s cuts to coverage were “cruel and unusual,” the province is stepping up its fight with the federal government.

“We have a responsibility to care for all those that reside here — particularly those that are the most vulnerable,” Hoskins said Wednesday at the Crossroads Clinic at Women’s College Hospital, which serves about 1,200 refugee patients a year.

“This isn’t about better care for our refugees, this is about the most basic services,” he said, noting pregnant claimants have suffered because of Ottawa’s move two years ago to slash medical benefits for newcomers.

“I call on Stephen Harper and (Immigration Minister) Chris Alexander to do the right thing and they can also expect to receive the bill from us with a ‘past due date’ for the additional funding Ontario has invested.”

Hoskins pointed out the Ontario Temporary Health Program is helping patients after Ottawa’s “vacating” measure to save money.

“Our government is filling the gap with our temporary health program because the people of our province are compassionate.”

There is also a public-health component to helping refugees by preventing any of their ailments from spreading to other Ontarians, he added.

Dr. Meb Rashid, the Crossroads Clinic’s medical director, agreed there have been “dramatic consequences” to the federal cuts.

“Pregnant women, sick children and victims of torture are among many that are now being denied care,” he said.

Rashid said Ottawa has refused meetings with dozens of health-care organizations concerned about the reduced funding.

On July 4, the Federal Court delivered a scathing ruling against the Harper government.

Justice Anne Mactavish warned the changes are especially harmful to the health of refugee claimants’ children.

“I have found that affected individuals are being subjected to ‘treatment’ as contemplated by Section 12 of the Charter and that this treatment is indeed ‘cruel and unusual,’ ” Mactavish wrote in her 268-page decision.

“The 2012 modifications to the Interim Federal Health Program potentially jeopardize the health, the safety and indeed the very lives of these innocent and vulnerable children in a manner that shocks the conscience and outrages our standards of decency.”

Despite that, the immigration minister insisted Ottawa will appeal.

“We remain committed to putting the interests of Canadians and genuine refugees first,” Alexander said in a statement Wednesday.

“Failed claimants and those from safe countries like the U.S. or Europe should not be entitled to better health care than Canadians receive.”

Hoskins, however, stressed that it is inaccurate to say claimants receive better care than Ontarians.

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“What we’re talking about here is basic health care . . . a pregnant woman not being able to get prenatal care, an insulin-dependent diabetic not being able to get insulin.”

Quebec, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia have also blasted Ottawa’s refugee health cuts to refugees.

A Toronto Star series, “Without a Safety Net: The erosion of Canada’s social programs,” highlighted the plight of such people.

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