Quebec scrapping controversial health tax for unvaccinated people: report

It seems like the Quebec government is backtracking on its “unvax tax” that would have charged a fee towards unvaccinated citizens.

In January, François Legault announced the government’s controversial decision to impose a “health contribution” onto citizens who choose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The decision was met with public backlash. A Canadian human rights organization called it “deeply troubling,” a public interest law firm was prepared to take legal action against the decision, and other Canadian premiers called it “un-Canadian.”

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Legault and the government didn’t provide any additional details as to exactly how the “unvax tax” would work, though the premier initially announced the fee would be “significant” for unvaccinated citizens. Reports indicated Legault was planning to charge anywhere from $100 to $800 per unvaccinated citizen, based on their respective income.

According to Legault, roughly 10% of eligible Quebecers remain unvaccinated.

According to a report from La Presse, Quebec will abandon its initiative after tabling it at a National Assembly meeting on Tuesday.

La Presse says opposition parties raised questions about the policy’s “fairness” and “ethics.”

Quebec Liberal Party Leader Dominique Anglade said the “health contribution” would have created a “breach” in Canada’s universal access to health care and that her party could “hardly be in favour” of such a measure.

The leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec, Éric Duhaime, opposed the measure and said that Legault’s government was “bluffing.”