Quebec is the first jurisdiction in Canada to require a vaccine passport to gain entry into its government-run cannabis stores as well as its liquor stores. However, Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) is still not requiring employees to be vaccinated.
The new regulations went into effect January 18.
Quebec has had a very strong stance against unvaccinated residents due to skyrocketing numbers of COVID-19 cases in the province.
Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé said, “I hope this will be an additional incentive for some to go get their first dose. The vaccination passport will be extended to certain non-essential commerce in the coming weeks and we’ll come back with a list after we have talked to the industries.”
Across the rest of Canada, cannabis stores have been deemed an essential service and stores are not required to show proof of vaccination to purchase products in-store.