Former Social Credit Premier Bill Vander Zalm greets crowd-member Margaret-Anne Turner of Osoyoos at a “Fight HST” rally held in Osoyoos on March 28. Vander Zalm’s appearance brought out about 150 people, some who signed up to be volunteer canvassers for the upcoming Initiative Petition to have the Harmonized Sales Tax repealed. Photo by Laurena Weninger - Click on picture for larger image
OSOYOOS TIMES-March 31, 2010
By Laurena Weninger – Osoyoos Times
“We have a great challenge ahead of us,” said former B.C. Premier Bill Vander Zalm on a recent tour through Osoyoos.
Vander Zalm brought his “Fight HST” message to the Sonora Community Centre on March 28 to rally volunteers in the upcoming Initiative Petition drive to convince the provincial government to repeal the pending Harmonized Sales Tax (HST).
Vander Zalm, as well as Chris Delaney, the lead organizer of the Fight HST campaign, spoke to about 150 people who showed up to the rally and the pair elicited cheers and clapping throughout the hour-long session.
Last summer, the provincial government announced its intention to combine the seven-per-cent provincial sales tax (PST) with the federal goods and services tax (GST) into a new, combined tax.
The 12-per-cent HST will replace both taxes and will be levied on most items that were previously only subject to GST.
“The HST is not like any other tax. The HST is cruel,” Vander Zalm said.
He also said it won’t be long until the tax becomes Canada-wide and it could then be expanded to include the U.S. and Mexico.
“It’s this thing they call ‘globalization,’ or the ‘New World Order,’” he said. “The day will come when the tax rates are set in Belgium.”
But Vander Zalm and his volunteers plan to fight.
In February, their Initiative Petition was approved by Elections BC and starting April 6, anti-HST volunteers will be collecting names on an official petition.
They will have 90 days to get the names and their goal will be to collect signatures from at least 10 per cent people living in each of British Columbia’s 85 electoral areas.
If the anti-HST movement is successful, the bill the group has prepared, accompanying the Initiative Petition, will have to be addressed by the provincial government.
“They can’t ignore it. It’s the law,” Vander Zalm explained.
The bill, which will either have to go to the Legislature to be voted on or sent to the public for an Initiative Vote, has three parts that will apply to potentially quashing the tax – even if the HST is already enacted by the time the Initiative is dealt with.
The first part is that the province’s agreement with the Federal government to combine the taxes be repealed.
The second part is to re-establish the PST as it was prior to the HST.
The third part is for the government to refund any monies collected under the HST to members of the public.
Vander Zalm did point out even if the group collects enough signatures, the government could vote the bill down.
But that would be a slap in the face to the voting public and the government would have to answer to those who signed the petition in the next election, he said.
Vander Zalm also has two back-up plans.
The first is a legal challenge.
The HST may contradict the Constitution of Canada, Vander Zalm said, and he intends to apply to take the matter to the Supreme Court of Canada.
But his other back-up plan is to have some of the provincial MLAs recalled.
A recall can’t happen until September – 18 months after last May’s provincial election – and requires signatures from 40 per cent of registered voters in the riding of the targeted MLA.
“We could probably just recall the premier himself,” Vander Zalm said.
At the March 28 meeting, tables were set up for volunteers to sign up with Vander Zalm’s group, as well as to register with Elections BC as official volunteers for the petition campaign.
A collection bucket was also passed around, to help cover the expenses of Vander Zalm’s tour around B.C. and other costs incurred by the volunteers for the Initiative Petition process.
Local anti-HST organizers Paul McCavour and Julie Turner said they were pleased with the turnout in Osoyoos and also pleased with the approximately 500 people who showed up to hear Vander Zalm’s message in Penticton.
The pair, along with other local volunteers, plans to set up in a central location in Osoyoos on certain days during the petition collection period to let the public come and sign. Tentative dates are April 15, 16, and 17 at the Sonora Community Centre, April 18 through 24 at Yore Movie Store on Main Street and April 22, 23, and 24 at the Sonora Centre.
They will also arrange to bring a petition to the location of anyone who is unable to get to the central signing location.
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