`Anti-vax tax' won't go ahead: Legault

• Premier François Legault has announced he is abandoning the idea of imposing a controversial “health contribution” — dubbed the “anti-vax tax” — on Quebecers who are unvaccinated.

At a news conference at the legislature Tuesday, Legault said it's clear the idea was creating division in Quebec, including threats of protests, and he wants to preserve social peace.

“I understand this divides Quebecers,” Legault said. “It's time to rebuild bridges. It's time to work together.”

He defended floating the idea, saying he was looking for more incentives for people to get the jab. But the situation has evolved, he said.

Legault had been poised to table legislation that would see people who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 charged $100 to $800 — presumably in the form of a tax — to compensate for the additional burden they could impose on the province's already beleaguered health-care system.

Criticism and controversy quickly followed Legault's Jan. 11 announcement of the tax, with opposition leaders saying such a policy would contravene the idea of free and equally accessible health care for all in Canada and would be motivated by political reasons rather than health concerns.

Interim public health director Dr. Luc Boileau sidestepped questions about the proposed tax, saying he preferred not to comment on “an economic measure” that did not come from health officials. Opposition politicians Tuesday accused the premier of floating the idea as a diversion from his poor management of the pandemic.

Now, they said, he is flip-flopping based on what he is seeing in the polls.

“The CAQ government has fooled around with Quebecers for a month,” Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade told reporters. “It says one thing on Monday, the opposite Tuesday. Frankly, they take us for idiots.

“They arrived with this idea. They had no legal grounds for it or any kind of agreement from public health. He's managing by polls. He must have a poll that's saying, `You know, this is not popular anymore, therefore I'm no longer doing it.' ”

“The government is playing poker with Quebecers,” added Parti Québécois house leader Martin Ouellet. “Enough with the bluffing in a crisis. We are asking the government to stop playing yo-yo and to be frank with Quebecers.”

Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-dubois accused Legault of governing on a whim and wasting everyone's time.

“The debate has been monopolized by this contraption (the health tax), which was invented by François Legault because of the mood he was in that day.

“It's haywire, incompetence. Why have we lost weeks of debate talking about this? We have lost precious time.”