Parliamentary commission on mandatory vaccination: Opposition is wary

A person receives a COVID-19 vaccine at a drive-thru clinic at Richardson Stadium in Kingston, Ont., on Friday, May 28, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

MONTREAL -

Opposition parties at the National Assembly are questioning how seriously the Legault government is taking the parliamentary commission on mandatory vaccination of health-care workers and the possibility of extending mandatory vaccinations to other categories of workers.

Premier François Legault's decision to present Quebec's demands to the federal party leaders on Thursday morning, the same day the parliamentary commission began its work, certainly didn't help ease the ranks of the opposition.

Some are questioning the Legault government's decision to hold a news conference on the federal demands, wondering if it was trying to create a distraction to overshadow the commission. Others worried the commission might be just a façade to please the opposition, even though decisions have already been made.

"Clearly, he wants to divert attention from a subject, from a debate that he would rather not engage in. We saw, from the start, his resistance to debate. Mr. Legault is accustomed to undivided governance. Obviously, governing by decree goes against the idea of letting parliamentarians discuss with experts on issues that could embarrass the government in relation to decisions it has already taken," said Parti Québécois (PQ) MNA Joël Arseneau in a press conference outside the commission.

He said the premier had refused repeated requests from the opposition for a parliamentary commission on the vaccine passport and believes that Legault could have chosen a more appropriate time to present Quebec's demands during the course of the current federal election campaign.

The PQ MNA said he hopes that this parliamentary commission, which is tasked with listening to discussion on extending mandatory vaccination to workers in sectors other than health, "will not be a show of force."

"Is it a public relations operation or is it a real intention to have discussions, to have exchanges?'' asked Liberal MNA Marie Montpetit. She said she worried the commission isn't expected to make recommendations at the end of the commission, which could have helped the government in decision-making.

Quebec's demands being made at the same time as the commission "shows the interest that the premier has in this commission," added Liberal MNA Moncef Derraji, in an ironic tone.

Quebec Solidaire MNA Vincent Marissal said he hoped the government had not "already made its bed on this."

"I hope, I sincerely hope, that they have not called us here to the gallery. I'm not here for the show, [...] And I'm going to ask all the questions I can in the very, very little time I have in the commission," said the Rosemont MNA.

The parliamentary commission is just a "marketing strategy" for the government, said Conservative Iberville MNA Claire Samson, who said she believes all the decisions have already been made.

--This story was first published in French by The Canadian Press on Aug. 26