The Quebec government says that unvaccinated people will still, however, have access to public or essential services.

Quebec’s Minister of Health and Social Services Christian Dubé said at that press conference on Thursday that instead of shutting down sectors of the economy, the government will opt to use vaccine passports to limit access to places like bars, gyms, sports, and other non-essential services that are considered “high” or “moderate” risk. 

Minister Dubé said that it is within people’s right to not get vaccinated, but that if an individual chooses not to get vaccinated they will be required to self-isolate, be tested, or “not have access” to non-essential services and some activities. 

Minister Dubé said the province will implement the vaccine passport by September 1, 2021, “with the deployment of a vaccination passport, those adequately protected will be able to continue with the routine activities of their daily lives, and the economic and public sectors will be able to remain open.”

Minister Dubé added, “vaccination is our passport to a return to normalcy, to more freedom. ”

“The vaccination passport will be used if and only if the transmission or outbreaks justify it in (an economic) sector or in a territory,” Dubé said.

In the announcement, Minister Dubé pleaded with people between the ages of 18 and 30 to get vaccinated. This age group has the lowest rate of vaccination (67 percent) among all eligible Quebecers. 

Minister Dubé says that the government will be supplying businesses with a QR code reader to scan for the vaccine passport.