Feds unlikely to challenge Quebec's proposed tax on unvaccinated, Charest says

The federal government is unlikely to challenge Quebec's controversial proposal to apply a tax on the unvaccinated in the province, says former premier Jean Charest.

Quebec has assured Ottawa that they will follow the principles of the Canada Health Act in implementing the levy – if they didn’t, the federal government could withhold health transfers.

Charest said that won’t happen.

“I’ve been there. In the days when I was premier of Quebec, there were things we were doing, that in certain instances, may have been outside the Act. The federal government won’t move on [this], they’ll let it pass,” he said during an interview on CTV’s Question Period airing Sunday.

“Do they want to be on the side—and that's the dilemma right now for governments—be on the side or be seen as on the side of the anti vaxxers? … Intervening directly within the health-care system of Quebec? That would be frankly, that would be a very bad move on their side.”