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Thread: Quebec's plan to tax the unvaccinated

  1. #1

    Quebec's plan to tax the unvaccinated

    I know this doesn't affect all Canadians, but I'm curious to know the feelings of the Canadians of this forum (e.g., AJ and HighlyFavored) on Quebec's plan to tax the unvaccinated. There is an economic rationale, but a similar rationale could be used to institute an "obesity" tax or a "failure to go to the gym" tax or an "eats too much junk food" tax.

    Quebec plans to hit unvaccinated with a 'significant' tax | National Post

    Quebec plans to hit unvaccinated with a 'significant' tax
    The Quebec government wants to impose a "significant" financial penalty on the "small minority" of Quebecers who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

    Premier François Legault made the announcement — which would be a first in Canada — during a press conference on Tuesday. He said he was working on the tax with Finance Minister Eric Girard while also reviewing the measure's legality.

    "Unfortunately, there is still a small minority, about 10 per cent of the population, that refuses to get vaccinated," Legault said. "I sense the frustration from Quebecers towards that minority that ... is clogging our hospitals."

    "That is why I am announcing that we are currently working on a health contribution that will be charged to all Quebec adults who refuse to get vaccinated," he continued, adding that people with medical exemptions would be excluded from the new tax.

    Legault did not announce any details nor a date for the new tax, nor did he specify the amount except to say that it would be "significant."

    The premier said that unvaccinated Quebecers currently occupy 50 per cent of intensive care unit beds in the province, despite being one tenth of the population.

    "It is shocking," he said. "People who refuse to get vaccinated impose a burden on (health care) personnel and an important financial burden on the majority of Quebecers."

    "All adults in Quebec who don't accept to go get at least a first dose in the next few weeks will have a bill to pay because there are consequences on our health system and its not up to all Quebecers to pay for that," he added.

    The measure, which is sure to be controversial both in the province and in Canada, was immediately criticized by opposition party Québec Solidaire as "radical" for "completely" forgetting vulnerable people such as the homeless or those suffering from severe mental health issues.

    "I think it's fair to call this a province-wide vaccine mandate... This is a pretty aggressive nudge," says Tim Caulfield, a Canada research chair in health law and policy at the University of Alberta.

    Caulfield says the measure is likely to work "a bit," but the devil is in the details, which are still lacking.

    He also thinks the social acceptability of the measure will also depend on the evolution of the pandemic over the next few weeks. Recent polls have shown the majority of vaccinated Canadians are increasingly frustrated by the unvaccinated few.

    "(Legault) may feel this is a politically palatable move, despite how extreme it may seem," he said. "If this continues to get worse, if the health-care system continues to be overburdened particularly by unvaccinated people, then this may not seem like such an extreme measure," Caulfield says.

    "If Omicron goes the other direction, if COVID goes the other direction, then I think that the perception of this might shift."

    The premier estimates that 1,000 more hospital employees and 1,500 long-term-care workers are needed to get through the fifth wave fueled by the extremely transmissible Omicron variant.

    Legault made the announcement at the same time as he announced a new head of the province's public health agency. Dr. Luc Boileau is replacing Dr. Horatio Arruda, who announced his resignation Monday evening, mainly because he feared he had lost the confidence of the public.

    Quebec has imposed some of the strictest restrictions on its population throughout the pandemic, including two separate curfews (one in the winter of 2021, and one currently in effect since the beginning of the month).

    It has also been somewhat of a trailblazer when it comes to enforcing new measures to fight against COVID-19. Some, such as bumping administration of second vaccine doses from a few weeks to six months to vaccinate more people faster, have been applauded. Others, such as strict curfews, have been more controversial.

    Last week, Quebec became the second province (after Saskatchewan) to extend its vaccine passport system to liquor and pot stores. Days later, Health Minister Christian Dubé announced on Twitter that appointments for first vaccine doses had quadrupled to 6,000.

    Caulfield suspects that an eventual tax on the unvaccinated will very likely lead to a court challenge, though it may end up being unsuccessful.

    "As long as this is not targeted at a group that has been covered by discrimination law... it's potentially defensible under the Charter," he said.

    Other provinces may not be so quick to follow Quebec's lead on this measure.

    A spokesperson for Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said Tuesday the province is not considering a similar tax.

    B.C.'s Health Minister Adrian Dix and the province's health officer Bonnie Henry both said during a press briefing Tuesday afternoon that the province was not planning a similar measure.

    Last Friday, Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said he believes mandatory vaccinations will happen in Canada.

    "I see it coming personally. Not now. I don't think we are there yet. But I think decisions need to be had about mandatory vaccinations because we have to get rid of COVID-19," he said in French in response to a reporter's question.

    More stringent vaccine requirements are already being introduced in some places.

    From February 1, vaccination will be mandatory in Austria and all unvaccinated people aged 14 and over will face fines worth 3,600 euros ($5,147).

    In Greece, people over the age of 60 will be fined 100 euros ($144) a month if they don't get a shot by Jan. 15.

    In Italy, vaccines are compulsory for people over 50.

    German MPs are expected to soon vote on making vaccination mandatory.

  2. #2
    Frozen Chosen A.J.'s Avatar
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    I was on a ZOOM prayer meeting this afternoon and a lady from Quebec expounded on what's going on in Quebec. If I remember correctly, this is the last step to coerce people into getting the jab. They have completely locked down everything except grocery stores, I think.... churches, restaurants, gyms, theatres, everything that can be considered non-essential. They have a 10 pm curfew. You aren't even allowed to walk your dog after 10. It's almost as bad as Australia. I believe it's a testing ground. If the Quebec govt gets away with it, the rest of Canada could follow.

    Where I live, the nearest City we do our business in is on the SK/AB border and we go under SK mandates for some reason. We can't go to restaurants, theatres, liquor or pot stores, gyms and I don't know where else, without a vax pass. So far essential businesses are still open but masks are demanded, but I don't bother.

    Alberta has slightly softer mandates, but we hardly ever go shopping or anything in Alberta. I BELIEVE that restaurants have to ask for vaxpasses... not sure where else.

    I REALLY feel for Quebec in this.

    What's interesting, is that Quebec has always been a sort of rebellious child. They've taken a vote twice on leaving Canada, both times, the NO vote won by a very narrow margin. It's also been said that our constitution isn't legal because Quebec has never signed it.

    There has been A LOT of animosity between Quebec and English speaking Canada... especially when it comes to something we call "Transfer Payments" They get $Billions$ while other provinces like Alberta, get nothing, in fact, it's Alberta that most of the money for Transfer Payments come from because of our oil industry. We have huge oil revenues.... but I digress...

    Things are bad in Quebec right now. A health tax, on top of everything else is outrageous!!!

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    Senior Member Highly Favoured's Avatar
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    I'm not surprised. I'm not as aware of what is going on in Ontario. My adult children live there but refuse to talk about anything going on with Covid. My husband's family lives there as well, and they have all drunk the kool-aid. We found out at Thanksgiving (October for Canada) on a Zoom call with them, that they all got the vaccine so things could go back to normal. Yep. All except Scott's cousin and her family; who were not at Thanksgiving.

    A.J. - I remember participating in one of those votes to allow Quebec to leave the union. What I remember was at the ballot box I read the proposal and there was something about the wording - I could not vote YES, even though it would have ended all the years of strife with Quebec and English Canada. That "French" spirit/demon is the same though in every country with ties to France. When you start to see it, you see it everywhere - in France, in Quebec, in former French colonies, in people of French descent.

    I look at Canada, from the outside looking in, and feel very disheartened. The continued insanity of lockdowns, closures of businesses, punishment of the unvaxxed, building a segregated society, etc., is disheartening. I'm not close enough to see what is really happening.


    I do realize that places in the U.S. can seem similiar - as if they are on the verge of becoming a communist state. This seems to be the case in New York and California, and other states. We are seeing the beast system really trying to raise its ungodly head in these last days. I can say that Michigan has grassroots patriot organizations that are organizing and mobilizing and working diligently to overturn and overthrow ungodly government. You won't see these things on the news, but we are working diligently and are having an effect.

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