'Pissing off the unvaccinated' is not a pandemic exit strategy, says Quebec Solidaire

The parliamentary leader of Québec Solidaire (QS), Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, says the government has 'lost control' of the pandemic and used strong language about the plan to impose a health tax on unvaccinated people.

"Fining the unvaccinated doesn't open beds in our hospitals, it doesn't bring back nurses, it doesn't reduce the contagion. It's not an exit strategy," he said. 

In a press briefing at the National Assembly on Wednesday, at the beginning of his party's pre-sessional caucus, Nadeau-Dubois hammered home the point that "pissing off the unvaccinated is not a strategy for getting out of the crisis."

"It is a political strategy of a government that has lost control," he said. "What it will do is stretch the elastic even further, at a time when the people of Quebec are already more divided than ever."

He added that it's not the time for people to lose patience with each other.

"I don't want Quebec to abandon its values because right now --we're at the end of our rope and we're frustrated with the unvaccinated... anger is not always constructive," he said.

Nadeau-Dubois invited the director of public health, Dr. Luc Boileau, to give his opinion on the health tax, arguing that not all unvaccinated people are "anti-vaccine."

"It's also isolated seniors, people with mental health problems, people who don't speak French or English. And the government is not doing enough to reach these people," he said. 

VACCINE BRIGADES

Québec Solidaire proposes instead to create "vaccine brigades" to reach out to people who have not been vaccinated. Multilingual teams could go door-to-door in neighbourhoods with low vaccination rates.

These brigades would answer people's questions and direct them to nearby mobile clinics or make vaccination appointments at home, QS suggested.

The party also wants to offer vaccination in all family medicine groups and CLSCs, and is calling for a $15-million emergency fund for community groups that promote vaccination.

"The government of François Legault is returning to the National Assembly in punishment mode. We at Québec Solidaire are in solution mode," said Nadeau-Dubois.

His party will also propose ways to improve the functioning of the health-care system in Quebec, he said. The "very wealthy" will have to do their fair share to finance, for example, home care.

"We will have, in Québec Solidaire, very ambitious proposals to correct the mistakes of the past," he said. "Of course, this will be a must in the next election, but it should not be the only issue."

QS co-spokesperson Manon Massé added several more subjects that are top of the party's agenda.

"The climate crisis, the lack of affordable housing, mental health and the quality of life of families are subjects that must also be addressed," she said.

The regular schedule at the National Assembly resumes on Feb. 1. For the MNAs, this will be the last parliamentary session before the general election of Oct. 3, 2022.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 26, 2022.