![Jason Kenney says Alberta won’t follow Quebec’s plan to tax people unvaccinated against COVID-19](https://globalnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/51630696807_2810140bd7_k.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&w=720&h=379&crop=1)
Jason Kenney says Alberta won’t follow Quebec’s plan to tax people unvaccinated against COVID-19
Global News
Jason Kenney said data shows unvaccinated people are a burden on the hospital system, but making them pay extra would be akin to making a smoker pay more for lung cancer treatment.
Premier Jason Kenney said the Alberta government will not be following Quebec’s plan to impose a financial penalty on those who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Kenney said the data shows the unvaccinated are proving to be a vastly greater burden on the hospital system than the vaccinated, but making them pay extra would not be fair.
He said the fee would violate the principle of universality of care in Canada’s health system. He noted that it would be akin to making a smoker pay more for lung cancer treatment.
Kenney made the comments Tuesday night during a Facebook live town hall meeting, which took written questions from Albertans.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced earlier Tuesday that he planned to make the unvaccinated pay a “significant” financial penalty given that they are occupying a disproportionate number of beds in the hospital system.
Only 10 per cent of Quebec’s population is unvaccinated, Legault said, but added they make up 50 per cent of patients in intensive care beds.
“A health contribution will be charged to all adults that don’t want to get vaccinated. We are there now,” Legault said.
The Quebec premier did not specify how much this tax would be, but he did say it would be “significant” — and that he does not consider a fine of $50 or $100 to be significant.