Singh calls Quebec tax a threat to health care
NDP leader says party supports other incentives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has condemned Quebec’s plan to slap a charge or tax on unvaccinated persons, calling it a threat to the basic principle of universal access to health care in Canada.
In his first news conference of the new year, Singh told reporters he opposes what’s been called an “unvaxxed tax” proposed by the Quebec provincial government because he views it as starting down a “slippery slope” towards eroding a health system that provides medically necessary health care to all Canadians regardless of ability to pay.
Singh added his voice to that of the other federal leaders who have flagged concerns about François Legault’s government’s proposal to levy a “significant” health “contribution” charge on the unvaccinated given the heavy burden they are putting on a health system buckling under the weight of COVID-19.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he wants further details, but expressed that any charge must not violate the Canada Health Act guarantees of universal access.
Federal Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, who staunchly backs provincial jurisdiction in health care, likewise opposed any plan to “tax and target” the unvaccinated. He suggested it wouldn’t work to drive up vaccination rates.
Days after the NDP’s health critic Don Davies said the party’s position would be discussed and decided at caucus, Singh outlined his opposition.
He said Canadians already pay taxes to ensure they have access to health services, and said he is “deeply concerned” about any proposal to charge a dedicated fee to unvaccinated persons, saying it would start “down the path” and “undermine the universality” of the Canadian health-care system.
In the face of cancelled surgeries for patients with cancer or other serious health conditions, Singh said he understands Canadians are “frustrated” by those who resist the COVID-19 vaccines, given the unvaccinated represent far and away the majority of people hospitalized and treated in critical care for severe COVID illness.
Instead, he said the NDP supports unspecified measures to encourage unvaccinated persons to get the shot, although he could not identify any new kinds of incentives to achieve that goal.