A Quebec court has temporarily taken custody of a 12-year-old from his unvaccinated father who "opposes health measures" to tackle the pandemic. The decision was made on December 23 but has now been revealed by the Devoir newspaper.
The judge ruled that in the context of the current health situation "it was not in (the child's) interest to have contact with his father as long as the latter has not been vaccinated and is opposed to the health measures". The father had initially requested that the period during which he had custody of his son be extended until the end of the festive period.
But the judge instead stripped him of all his parental rights until February, unless he decides in the meantime to get vaccinated. The judge noted that excerpts from the father's posts on social media showed him "opposed to vaccines and health measures". For this reason it seems that the child is not "fully protected" from the virus, and may have less protection as the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly in Quebec.
In addition, the mother lives with her partner and her other two children, aged 7 months and 4 years, who have not been vaccinated since in Canada the vaccines are given from the age of 5 years. "In these circumstances, it is not in the interest of any of the three children for the father to be able to see the 12-year-old" at this time ", the judge ruled. Quebec has seen a sharp rise in cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks. The vast majority of adults (over 90%) are vaccinated.
The government of the French-speaking province has decided to toughen the measures against the unvaccinated, imposing a special tax on them because it considers that they burden the health system.