{"id":393121,"date":"2022-01-12T19:48:53","date_gmt":"2022-01-12T16:48:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/quebec-cracks-down-on-the-unvaccinated\/"},"modified":"2022-01-12T19:48:53","modified_gmt":"2022-01-12T16:48:53","slug":"quebec-cracks-down-on-the-unvaccinated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/quebec-cracks-down-on-the-unvaccinated\/","title":{"rendered":"#Quebec cracks down on the unvaccinated"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Quebec cracks down on the unvaccinated<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n Politics Insider for Jan. 11: Erin O’Toole is out of step; lockdowns fall out of favour; and MPs are being warned about Chinese meddling\n <\/div>\n
\n Welcome to a sneak peek of the\u00a0<\/em>Maclean\u2019s\u00a0Politics Insider\u00a0news<\/a>letter.\u00a0Sign up to get it delivered\u00a0straight to your inbox in the morning.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Significant\u2019 penalty:\u00a0<\/strong>Francois Legault announced Tuesday that unvaxxed Quebecers will have to pay a \u201csignificant\u201d financial penalty if they persist in not getting jabbed, CP reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

About 10 per cent of adult Quebecers aren\u2019t vaccinated, but they represent about half of all patients in intensive care, Legault said, adding that the unvaccinated should be forced to pay<\/strong> for the extra burden they are placing on the health-care system. \u201cI think right now it\u2019s a question of fairness<\/strong> for the 90 per cent of the population who made some sacrifices,\u201d Legault said. \u201cI think we owe them this kind of measure.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A warning:<\/strong> The penalty could pose a problem for\u00a0 the vaccine hesitant and those who face systemic barriers, said Black Health Alliance executive director Paul Bailey<\/strong>: \u201cWe know that can further undermine public trust in governments or just the confidence in the vaccine, period.\u201d CP has the story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Time to act:<\/strong> In a vigorous column<\/a>, Tasha\u00a0Kheiriddin<\/strong>, in the Post<\/em>, argues that the unvaccinated must be deterred from harming others.<\/p>\n

\n

It\u2019s like saying \u201cwear your seatbelt, but if you don\u2019t, that\u2019s OK.\u201d Well guess what \u2014 it\u2019s not. If you get in an accident, it will cost up to\u00a0three times more<\/a>\u00a0to treat you in hospital than if you were buckled up. Sound familiar? The reality is that we restrict plenty of behaviours where we judge the harm to others, including economic harm, outweighs the limits to individual liberty. We don\u2019t allow people to smoke in workplaces or public buildings. We forbid drinking and driving. And we mandate vaccination for contagious diseases such as measles if children are to attend public school.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Wrong tone:<\/strong> In the Globe<\/em>, Gary Mason<\/strong> writes that<\/a> Erin O\u2019Toole is out of step with Canadian mood when he sticks up for the unvaxxed, and is likely doing it only to fend off a challenge from the right.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s doubtful Mr. O\u2019Toole actually believes what he is saying<\/strong> \u2013 he just has little choice but to say it. He has his job to worry about and that job is leading a fractious caucus that includes a strident wing of freedom fighters who believe Canadians should not have their rights and liberties \u201ctrampled on\u201d by government, regardless of circumstance. Even if that causes a crisis in our health care system.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Mulcair agrees:<\/strong> Writing for<\/a> CTV, Tom Mulcair<\/strong> makes a similar point, saying that Trudeau, who is emulating Emmanuel Macron\u2019s<\/strong> tough app<\/a>roach to the unvaxxed, is on the right side of public opinion, unlike O\u2019Toole.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing more important for a political leader than the public\u2019s perception of you. It\u2019s not something you get to change with a black T-shirt. If people feel that you\u2019re irresponsible, that their protection is not your number one concern, that sticks. O\u2019Toole is not irresponsible. He\u2019s just playing a reckless game<\/a><\/strong> and he\u2019ll wind up paying a huge price for it in terms of his own credibility.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Not so fast:<\/strong> Don Martin<\/strong>, also writing for CTV, has a different view<\/a>, arguing that the privacy implications alone make the Quebec proposal untenable, and with any luck, Omicron will herald the end of the worst of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one thing to mandate vaccinations in teaching or transportation occupations which interact with the public, but a lot more different and more difficult to confront an unvaccinated home-office worker or force a mentally ill person to face a hearing on why they shouldn\u2019t be fined. Above all else, the current number of Omicron variant cases clearly points to this month as a viral supernova event, one that is now flaring into a medical monstrosity before it will likely collapse into a sniffling cinder by summer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Lockdown support:<\/strong> A new Leger polls finds a slim majority of Canadians support the latest round of lockdowns, CP reports<\/a>. Fifty-six per cent of respondents agreed governments are making the right decisions. Another 31 per cent said they did not believe Omicron poses a serious health risk.<\/p>\n

Adieu, Dr. Arruda:<\/strong> La Presse<\/em> has two thoughtful columns on yesterday\u2019s resignation of Dr. Horacio Arruda<\/strong>, one<\/a> from\u00a0Isabelle Hachey<\/strong> (translation<\/a>), one<\/a> from Patrick Lagac\u00e9<\/strong> (translation<\/a>). Both of them think it was maybe a good idea for him to move on.<\/p>\n

Mounties get black eye:<\/strong> The federal court ruled Tuesday that RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki<\/strong> violated her obligation under the law by taking too long to\u00a0respond to investigations into claims of Mountie misconduct, CBC reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Federal Court case started back in early 2014, when the B.C. Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) lodged a complaint with the CRCC \u2014 the watchdog agency tasked with reviewing public complaints against the RCMP \u2014 alleging Mounties were spying on Indigenous and environmental protesters opposed to the Northern Gateway pipeline project. The CRCC\u2019s findings, which pointed to gaps in the RCMP\u2019s surveillance policies, were released only in late 2020. The Federal Court case pivoted to look at what\u2019s meant by the part of the RCMP Act that says the commissioner must respond to CRCC reports \u201cas soon as feasible<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

CSIS warns MPs:<\/strong> CSIS is warning individual MPs and senators about influence operations being carried out by China and other adversarial states, the Globe<\/em> reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong<\/strong> said CSIS officials warned him in a briefing about subversive and coercive foreign interference operations that take place on Canadian soil, including efforts to influence MPs. \u201cIt certainly was in reference to China,\u201d he said. However, the MP noted the officials also discussed threats from Iran after he raised concerns. They also told him to be aware of how China uses proxies or business lobbyists.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

PHAC probed:<\/strong> Canada\u2019s privacy watchdog is probing federal officials\u2019 use of \u201cde-identified\u201d cellphone location data after the revelation raised concerns with privacy advocates and opposition politicians, who have forced an emergency Commons committee meeting on the issue, Global reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Not transparent:<\/strong> PHAC might have avoided the problem if the agency had disclosed what it was up to, writes<\/a> Campbell Clark<\/strong> in the Globe<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Payette keeps snowflake:<\/strong> Julie Payette<\/strong> won\u2019t lose her appointment to the Order of Canada, CBC reports<\/a>. An advisory council chaired by Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Wagner<\/strong> \u201chas concluded that there are insufficient grounds to proceed further at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Stephen Maher<\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n