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Quebec Premier François Legault says legislation on Quebec’s planned tax for people who refuse to get vaccinated will be tabled in February.
“There will be a debate at the National Assembly on the health contribution so all MLAs, all political parties will be able to vote for or against and proposing adjustments if necessary,” Mr. Legault told a news conference on Thursday in Montreal.
Earlier this week, Mr. Legault said those who refuse a COVID-19 vaccination without a valid medical exemption will face a “significant” fee that he suggested would be more than $100. He said the province is working on the details.
The Quebec government’s plan has spurred debate across Canada, with questions posed to the federal government about whether they support the idea.
On Thursday, Mr. Legault said he wanted to make it clear that his plan is not punitive.
“The intention behind the contribution is not to hurt people who are in a bad situation,” said the Premier, offering as examples the homeless or people with an illness that prevents them from getting vaccinated, or people with mental-health issues.
“What we’re saying is those people who choose not to get vaccinated, well there will be a price to pay because there is an impact on society as a whole.”
Parliamentary reporter Marieke Walsh reports here on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s reaction, on Wednesday, to news of Quebec’s plan.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
CANADA UNITES WITH MEXICO ON U.S. TRADE CHALLENGE – Canada is joining forces with Mexico to oppose how the United States is interpreting the new rules that govern duty-free cars and trucks. Story here.
SASKATCHEWAN PREMIER HAS COVID-19 – Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has tested positive for COVID-19. “I’m feeling fine, but will be self-isolating and working from home for the next five days,” Mr. Moe said in a tweet. Story here.
PANDEMIC PROMPTS SHIFT IN SENATE REOPENING – The pandemic has prompted a week-long delay in the start of Senate sittings this year, until Feb. 8, but the House of Commons will resume as scheduled on Jan. 31. Story here.
COMMONS FINANCE COMMITTEE CALLING WITNESSES ON INFLATION – The House of Commons finance committee has agreed unanimously to call on Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem and banking regulator Peter Routledge, among others, to testify at hearings into the causes of high inflation, a move that will keep soaring real estate prices and the rising cost of goods at the top of the political agenda heading into the next sitting of Parliament. Story here.
PAYETTE TO KEEP APPOINTMENT - Former governor-general Julie Payette won’t lose her appointment to one of the country’s most prestigious civilian honours. Story here from CBC.
TOUCH CHOICES LOOM ON PM’S TRADITIONAL RESIDENCE – The choice around 24 Sussex Drive, designated as the official residence of the prime minister, is to spend $36.6-million to renovate the crumbling building or $40-million to tear it down and rebuild. The National Capital Commission, property manager for the federal government, has described the building as being in “critical” condition. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family live elsewhere, at Rideau Cottage on the grounds of Rideau Hall where the Governor-General lives. The Toronto Star looks here at the situation.
THIS AND THAT
The House of Commons has adjourned until Jan. 31 at 11 a.m. ET.
ETHICS COMMITTEE LOOKING FOR DATA ANSWERS – The House of Commons ethics committee has voted unanimously to invite the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada and the federal Health Minister to appear to help facilitate a study into the Public Health Agency of Canada collecting, using or possessing Canadians’ private cellphone data without their knowledge or consent. The issue is detailed in a story here and a Campbell Clark column here.
U.S. AMBASSADOR ON BEST CANADIAN BAGELS AND SOFT PRETZELS – The new U.S. ambassador to Canada said Wednesday on Twitter that he is a “very big bagel fan” and would welcome suggestions for Canadian bagels to try. “As a 50-year resident of Philadelphia, my pre-Canada favorites are fresh Everything bagels from Famous 4th Street or Schlesinger’s delis,” David Cohen – @USAmbCanada – wrote. Former federal environment minister Catherine McKenna responded, highlighting the ambassador’s challenge, and spotlighting options from a pair of Ottawa bagel retailers. Mr. Cohen, who arrived in Canada last month, has since broadened his culinary appeal: “I’m also accepting Canadian recommendations for one of my favorite great Philadelphia traditions – soft pretzels.”
THE DECIBEL – With kids heading back to classrooms after the holiday break, parents and teachers are in the spotlight of Thursday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast to hear about how they’re feeling. Plus Dr. Janine McCready, an infectious-diseases physician at Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto talks about what is known about Omicron and kids so far, and the tools needed to keep transmission down in both schools and in the wider community. The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Private meetings, Ottawa. The Prime Minister was also scheduled to speak with Olusegun Obasanjo, the High Representative of the African Union Commission for the Horn of Africa.
LEADERS
No schedules released for party leaders.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on whether the unvaxxed should pay a special tax?: ”On Tuesday, Quebec Premier François Legault announced a plan – okay, more of a half-cooked notion – to tax the unvaccinated. There were no details, which is why this smells more like public relations than public health. Tax The Unvaxxed looks like a bid to channel public frustration away from government and on to another target. That said, Mr. Legault picked a good target. The nine out of 10 Canadians who are vaccinated have every reason to be furious at the one in 10 who are not. They’re imposing burdens on the rest of us. Hospitalization stats – more on those in a moment – are a reminder that individual choices, good and bad, have collective consequences.”
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on how the health care accountability runaround has to end: “After this week’s first ministers’ call, a spokesperson for Ontario Premier Doug Ford issued a statement citing a “gap” in federal funding of billions of dollars that could be used to improve health care – as if provincial authorities can’t improve the system until the feds cough up more dough. But of course they can. They can raise funds in almost all the same ways that Ottawa can, from the same taxpayer. And they can decide what needs to be funded and what doesn’t. Only provinces, not Ottawa, can make choices about how the health care system works, to make it more efficient or provide better care.”
Konrad Yakabuski (The Globe and Mail) on French President Emmanuel Macron and Quebec Premier François Legault playing politics with the unvaccinated: “Emmanuel Macron and François Legault may share the same mother tongue, but they speak very different political languages. While one wields his words like an Olympic fencer thrusts his épée, the other seeks to engage with voters in distinctly quotidian prose. One likes to flash his intellectual prowess, while the other emphasizes his common sense. Yet the French President and Quebec Premier, who are both up for re-election in 2022, have embraced similar political strategies as they fend off criticism of their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each has stooped to stigmatizing the non-vaccinated as a diversionary tactic, despite the danger inherent in pitting an exasperated majority against a misunderstood minority.”
Vaughn Palmer (The Vancouver Sun) on BC Liberals getting the kind of coverage for their leadership race that no party wants: “The B.C. Liberals were fretting that their leadership contest was being ignored by the news media, but now find themselves getting the kind of publicity that no political party wants. The provincial opposition party is facing calls to put off next month’s leadership vote pending a full-blown investigation of allegations of fraudulent memberships. At the same time, the party is being accused of singling out members from the South Asian and Chinese communities for review and audit.”
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Ian Bailey