Quebec to table bill to tax the unvaccinated amid pushback from opposition parties, doctors
The Legault government said it will table a bill on a controversial tax for the unvaccinated and has vowed to let it be open for debate in the Quebec legislature.
Soon after Premier François Legault announced the unprecedented public health measure on Tuesday, opponents called it a “radical” idea that would cause more harm than good, particularly for vulnerable people, such as those who are homeless.
Speaking to reporters at a news conference on Thursday, the premier said the bill will be introduced in the National Assembly in early February and that “all political parties will be able to vote either for or against and propose adjustments, if necessary.”
He gave very few specifics on the new measure when he announced it on Tuesday, other than to say it would be a “significant” financial penalty and that it would not apply to people with medical exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine. A fee of $100, he said, would not be good enough.
The intention of what he described as a “healthcare contribution” is not to hurt vulnerable populations, Legault said Thursday.
“What we're saying is those people who choose to not get vaccinated, well, there will be a price to pay … because there is an impact on society as a whole, there's an impact on the costs of our healthcare network.”
- Thousands sign up for 1st dose of COVID-19 vaccine as Quebec threatens to tax the unvaxxed
- Quebec wants to tax the unvaccinated, but is that legal?
The government’s legal advisers are looking at how to define the bill’s exceptions that would apply to, for example, people with mental illnesses.
Some doctors have condemned the government's plans. The idea goes “against the fundamental values of public health,” according to the public health director of the Gaspé region, Dr. Yv Bonnier-Viger, a renowned epidemiologist.
Meanwhile, opposition parties called on the government to abandon its proposal.
Quebec Solidaire health critic Vincent Marissal said the Legault government needed to present its legal and scientific opinions that justify such a decision.
Quebec Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade also denounced the financial penalty, saying the premier has chosen to “divide and divert” with his plan that she said lacked any “public health advice, without any details, without having answered questions.”
Legal experts also called into question the constitutionality of such a proposal. Human rights lawyer Julius Grey said it would almost certainly be in violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but depending on how it’s argued in court, if someone challenges it, it could be a “close call.”
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association also called for the government to abandon its proposal.
"Our Charter recognizes individual autonomy over our bodies and medical decisions. Allowing the government to levy fines on those who do not agree with the government’s recommended medical treatment is a deeply troubling proposition," wrote Cara Zwibel, the association's general counsel, in a statement.
Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan are among the provinces that have said they would not consider a tax on unvaccinated people.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.