Category: Premier Francois Legault

Legault’s ‘Unvaxxed Tax’ Is Really About Scapegoating the Unvaccinated to Deflect From Failures

Commentary The latest news in the increasingly bizarre world created by the politicians in response to COVID-19 is that Québec Premier François Legault has decided to impose a health-care surcharge on people who do not get vaccinated. The ostensible rationale behind the surcharge is that, in the premier’s words, “the vaccine is the key to…


Unvaxxed Tax: Quebec Announces ‘Significant’ Financial Penalty on the Unvaccinated

Quebec has announced that the unvaccinated will have to pay an extra “health contribution,” making it the first jurisdiction in Canada to impose a financial penalty on those who refuse the shot. Premier François Legault made the announcement at a press conference on Tuesday, a day after receiving the resignation of Horacio Arruda, the province’s…


Quebec Board Wrong to Hire Teacher Who Wore Hijab Given Secularism Law: Legault

MONTREAL—Premier Francois Legault says a school board in western Quebec should not have hired a teacher who wore a hijab. Legault told reporters today in Quebec City the province’s secularism law, known as Bill 21, has been in place since June 2019 and the Western Quebec School Board should have respected it when hiring. It…


Legault in Favour of Conservative Minority, Wary of Liberals, NDP and Greens

In the wake of the Sept. 8 French-language debate, Quebec Premier Francois Legault said he is in favour of a Conservative minority government, while being critical of the Liberals, NDP, and Green Party. Legault praised Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, particularly on his promise to increase health transfers to Quebec without conditions. “The Conservative Party has…


Regions in Quebec Back Under Strict COVID-19 Restrictions

Quebec Premier François Legault announced special measures on Wednesday that will put four regions back under strict COVID-19 restrictions, while three other cities will have what amounts to a lockdown order. Legault said during a Wednesday press conference that the four regions—Capitale-Nationale, Outaouais, Chaudière-Appalaches, and Bas-Saint-Laurent—will move up to level-4 maximum alert (red zones), under…


Opposition Party Calls for Changes to Quebec Curfew After Homeless People Ticketed

MONTREAL—Quebec’s second opposition party is calling for people experiencing homelessness to be exempt from the government-imposed curfew. Alexandre Leduc, a member of Quebec solidaire, said Wednesday his party is concerned after hearing reports that homeless people have been ticketed in Val-d’Or and Montreal for violating the health order. With the majority of Quebecers following the…