Could The Quebec Vaccine Passport Be Suspended & Restarted? Dubé Raised The Possibility

On the list of COVID-19 restrictions that stir up controversy in Quebec, the vaccine passport surely sits near the top. During the February 11 National Assembly of Quebec committee meeting, Health Minister Christian Dubé discussed the future of Quebec's vaccine passport.

Although Dubé reiterated during the meeting that "the vaccine passport is here to stay," he appeared to then soften that position by discussing possible criteria for suspending the passport in the coming weeks.

"When I said that the vaccine passport is here to stay," Dubé said, "will Quebec Public Health recommend, I hope in a few weeks, that we can suspend it because [the COVID-19 situation] is getting better? Could we reinstate it if we were ever caught in another wave? That's what we have to think about."

Dubé then ran through the tools developed over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic that have allowed Quebecers to continue on with their lives — underlining the success of the vaccine passport.

"I think that Quebecers have shown that they agree with a vaccine passport," Dubé said, but his remarks suggested that the the way it is used could change over time.

"I think we will have these discussions in the future. Will we be able to restore these tools [vaccine passport] if we need them? It is [on this] that we must be able to have discussions," Dubé explained.

Despite raising the possibility of suspending the vaccine passport, Dubé made it clear he is still wary of the ongoing COVID-19 situation.

The minister reminded the committee that there are still "150 to 200 people going to hospitals every day who have contracted the virus."

In the meantime, Quebec remains firm on its re-opening plan, which includes the end of many core restrictions by March 14 with the vaccine passport and mask mandates thus far unchanged.