Victory for Charter rights and freedoms as Québec scraps punitive tax against vaccine-free
MONTRÉAL: The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms is pleased to report that Québec Premier François Legault announced today that his government will scrap the proposed health tax on unvaccinated individuals.
“The Premier's about-face suggests that the Covid tax was nothing more than a propaganda tool directed against the new scapegoats of the State and of the mainstream media: those not taking the new Covid vaccine," reacts Mr. Samuel Bachand, attorney for the Justice Centre in the Belle Province.
On January 13, 2022, the Justice Centre announced it would launch legal action against the province if the tax was imposed against Québecers who did not receive the requisite number of Covid injections. Premier Legault told news media on January 11, that a “substantial” amount would be implemented as a tax for those not getting a Covid vaccine.
Despite having a double vaccination rate of 78.3%, Québec has implemented some of the strictest lockdown measures in North America. The province imposed a curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. banning even the solitary act of dog-walking, and has implemented “vaccine passports” for places of worship and for businesses deemed “non-essential” by politicians. The province has also banned the vaccine-free from liquor and cannabis stores.
Premier Legault did not give details on when the tax would be implemented, but recent media reports have suggested substantial amounts as high as $800. Government estimates put the number of Québecers who have chosen not to receive the Covid shots at about 10%.
At the time, Justice Centre President John Carpay called the tax “an egregious violation of the Charter rights of Québecers and an affront to equality which Canada was, in times past, known for.”
“Canadians have a constitutional right to determine what medications they take, and this is especially so when the medications are recently developed and approved and for which there is no long-term safety data”, states Mr. Bachand.
