PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Passers-by in the Quartier des spectacles, in Montreal
The Coalition futur Quebec (CAQ), always sensitive to the mood of the majority, felt that the pot was starting to overflow. With the departure of Horacio Arruda, Prime Minister François Legault has found a way to lower the temperature.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
But the government must anchor its decisions in a logic of public health, and not give in to popular dissatisfaction, even when the population is on edge, as at the moment.
In this regard, the health contribution for the unvaccinated, announced Tuesday by the government, is a weapon to be handled with tact. It is true that by refusing the vaccine, they increase the risk of being hospitalized, which endangers the health system.
It is therefore easy to understand the distress of cancer patients who see their treatment postponed. One can imagine the suffering of patients who have been waiting for months for an operation … or who are forced to pay thousands of dollars to have private operations.
In this exceptional context, asking the unvaccinated to pay a reasonable price can be explained. It is a question of fairness. Everyone must make their war effort.
But this should not be done on the backs of the most disadvantaged. Homeless people, people with mental health problems, lonely and isolated people… beyond the cliché of the anti-ax activist, this is also the portrait of the unvaccinated. Sticking a penalty on them that they cannot afford will not help matters.
They must not become the scapegoats for collective fed-up.
Yes, everyone is fed up. Those who thought that the worst of the crisis was behind, a few months ago, were suddenly disenchanted, shows a Léger poll, published on Tuesday. Quebecers’ satisfaction with health measures has also plummeted by five points over the past month, even if it remains at 65%, a level that would make the premier of Alberta drool with envy.
Of course, the procrastination of the CAQ surrounding health measures during the Holidays has certainly created disappointments and incomprehension among Quebecers who are contributing to the fed up.
Think of the quick test fiasco, the change in focus on child care, or the changes surrounding the Christmas festivities.
Instead of parties of 20-25 people, it was finally gatherings of 10 that were allowed … before we completely shut off the tap and impose a curfew, the usefulness of which is difficult to prove scientifically. This measure may have the merit of sending a strong signal to young people about the seriousness of the situation, but it is difficult to understand why it would be necessary here and nowhere else.
It is also difficult to understand the real objective of closing businesses on Sundays. Is it a question of giving a respite to traders struggling with the labor shortage? Or is it really a health measure? However, if we want to reduce contacts, it is not by forcing people to do their shopping all at the same time on Saturdays that we will achieve this goal.
The people need better explanations, more clarity.
With the departure of Horacio Arruda, the government is giving itself an opportunity to start again on new bases, at a time when the population begins to be less “docile” and more critical of its management of the pandemic.
After 22 months in this pot, it is more difficult for the government to say that it had not seen COVID-19 coming, as in the first wave. And after more than three years in power, it is more embarrassing to put the blame on the back of the previous government.
In any case, the CAQ must be careful not to give in to the popular discontent which is bubbling up. Killing the messenger or finding scapegoats will not solve the problems.