Quebec Premier François Legault’s announcement Tuesday that his province will very soon start levying a “significant” special tax on willfully unvaccinated Quebecers may sound to some of us like common sense. The choice to forego vaccination has “consequences” that radiate through the health-care system, Legault argued. “It’s not up to all Quebecers to pay for that,” he suggested . To make the point, he said he would call the tax a “health contribution.”
Many Canadians will likely applaud. But in fact this sets a horrible precedent that undermines the central tenets of a universal public health-care system; that could lead Quebec and the Rest of Canada down some very dark alleys; and that highlights just how critical it is to fix this country’s seat-of-the-pants health-care systems.
Legault has been rolling out the most punitive regime for the unvaccinated in Canada, and Quebecers can’t seem to get enough of it. Last week the government announced proof-of-vaccination would soon be required to enter provincially run liquor and cannabis stores. A Léger poll released Tuesday found 73 per cent of Quebecers supported the move, and 72 per cent would support expanding the requirement to all retail environments save grocery stores. (A majority of respondents in every region except Manitoba and Saskatchewan also supported the latter idea.) That seemed to be having the desired effect: demand for vaccination appointments quadrupled overnight , according to Health Minister Christian Dubé.
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