free masks petition Quebec
Life

PETITION: Free masks for low-income Quebecers

by Lorraine Carpenter

A coalition of anti-poverty organizations want RAMQ to step in.

Montreal’s Project Genesis is among the organizations behind a petition to push the Quebec government to provide free masks for Quebecers living on welfare or pensions, as well as low-wage workers. The petition asks that the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) should provide four washable, fabric face coverings for each member of a household earning $20,048 (for one person) or $48,192 (for six people) or less.

As Project Genesis organizer Marion Lignac pointed out in a press release, welfare recipients living on $690 per month can barely afford even the most basic personal or household items, including face coverings, which are now essential accessories — especially for an already vulnerable demographic. Given the fact that masks are mandatory inside public places and in public transit across the province, and that masks are supposed to be washed regularly, pensioners and low-wage workers find it almost as difficult to incorporate this new expense into their budgets. ■

To sign the petition to urge the RAMQ to provide free masks to low-income Quebecers, please visit the National Assembly website.

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Posted in Life

by Lorraine Carpenter

Editor in chief
Lorraine Carpenter was born in Montreal and studied communications and journalism at Concordia. She co-founded Cult MTL in 2012 following 12 years at the now-defunct Montreal alt weekly the Mirror, where she worked in editorial as copy editor and music editor. She’s dedicated to supporting the cultural scene in Montreal.