Walmart’s enforcement of the COVID-19 vaccine passport in Quebec has prompted Twitter users to boycott the company.
On January 13, the Quebec government announced all stores larger than 1,500 square metres in size would have to implement the vaccine passport, including Walmart, Canadian Tire, and Costco.
On Tuesday, Walmart Canada announced it would implement the measure across all of its locations in the province, “as directed by the Government of Quebec.”
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#BoycottWalmart was trending on Twitter with more than 18,000 mentions as of Wednesday morning. Some hashtags support the initiative, mocking those who called for a boycott.
“We ask for our customer’s patience and understanding as we continue to ensure a safe and efficient customer experience,” tweeted Walmart Canada, replying to a Twitter user calling the initiative “discrimination.”
Hi. As directed by the Government of Quebec, we will implement the vaccine passport at our stores in Quebec. We ask for our
customer’s patience and understanding as we continue to ensure a safe and efficient customer experience.— Walmart Canada (@WalmartCanada) January 24, 2022
Walmart Canada also clarified that pictures shared across Twitter, suggesting its plexiglass dividers were to isolate non-vaccinated customers. Walmart says its staff actually uses the booths to check clients’ vaccine passports.
Yesterday we implemented the vaccine passports at our stores in Quebec. Some pictures on social media wrongly suggest that plexiglass dividers at some stores are to isolate non vaccinated customers. This is false. The dividers are for associates when they scan vaccine passports.
— Walmart Canada (@WalmartCanada) January 25, 2022
Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé says that first-dose vaccination appointments have quadrupled since the government announced the bix box store vaccine policies.
On January 11, Quebec Premier François Legault says the government is looking into imposing a “health contribution” tax on citizens in the province who are not vaccinated.
Legault says the policy will be tabled at a February 1 National Assembly meeting, where ministers will vote on whether the “unvax tax” initiative will be implemented.