Quebec's unvaccinated need education — not a tax, advocates say

Last year, Stella Bailakis was on a mission to get others in her neighbourhood vaccinated against COVID-19.

She volunteered for Table de Quartier de Parc-Extension, going door-to-door to give out information and answer questions. And her efforts paid off.

"The people in this area speak different languages," Bailakis said.

"Most of them listen to the news in their country. Once you have the opportunity to sit and chat with them, their views really turn around."

Quebec Premier François Legault is planning to charge the unvaccinated a special tax, but his proposal is raising concerns among community advocates and experts alike who say the government should try other methods first — especially among marginalized populations whose distrust in authorities goes back generations.

"Before they go to the level of levelling taxes, all avenues need to be exhausted in terms of educating people," said Mark Henry, head of the Jamaica Association of Montreal.

Quebec's Black community has felt disadvantaged, ignored and treated unfairly for years and now is living under a premier who refuses to acknowledge systemic racism in the province, Henry said.

Rather than taking away people's right to choose, Henry said, he wants the government to offer better financial support to community organizations.

"In order for us to get to our community, who trusts us more than the government, then we need additional resources," he said.

"We need those resources to make new campaigns, to hire people, to do that door-to-door."

Black Health Alliance executive director Paul Bailey said Legault's proposed tax risks further entrenching inequities in Canada's pandemic response and eroding trust in the government.

"We know that can further undermine public trust in governments or just the confidence in the vaccine, period," Bailey said.

Provinces do not keep socioeconomic or race-based data when it comes to vaccination.

However, a report by the Black Opportunity Fund, African-Canadian Civic Engagement Council and Innovative Research Group found a 20-point gap between white and Black Canadians who had received at least one vaccine dose between May 18 to June 4, 2021, according to a survey of 2,838 respondents.