August 11, 2010

B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell’s Liberal government suffered a historic blow Wednesday as the province’s elections agency upheld a petition against the unpopular harmonized sales tax that was signed by more than 700,000 voters.

The decision sets the stage for a new vote on the tax in the legislature or a possible referendum.

It is the first time a petition has been passed since Canada’s only law allowing such petitions was enacted in B.C. in 1995.

The province’s acting chief elections officer announced the milestone in a letter to the petition proponent – former B.C. premier William Vander Zalm – but wrote that he would not take further steps on the matter until a court action against the petition is dealt with.

Mr. Vander Zalm, who has become the poster boy for anti-HST forces in B.C., was outraged by the possible delay, but savoured the victory nonetheless.

“It did pass so I am extremely happy about that,” Mr. Vander Zalm told reporters, as supporters, including his wife Lillian, sipped champagne during a news conference.

“It made history.”

But Mr. Vander Zalm said he and his supporters will now use other provisions of the province’s Recall and Initiative Act to target Liberal MLAs in their ridings, seeking signatures from 40 per cent of voters in order to force by-elections.

“Every Liberal MLA is vulnerable as of today,” he said, promising he and fellow activists would work out their targets in the days ahead. “We will recall every MLA, every Liberal MLA if need be. We’ll obviously not do it all at once.”

Mr. Campbell’s Liberal government ruled out an HST before the May, 2009, provincial election, then adopted a new 12 per cent hybrid of the former 7 per cent provincial sales tax and 5 per cent federal goods and services tax. The move whipped up enough public fury to massively erode Liberal support in public opinion polls.

One recent poll has suggested that even two-star candidates could not enable the Liberals to overcome the NDP if they succeeded Mr. Campbell. However, the next election is not scheduled until 2013.

Mr. Campbell has conceded he is to blame for the public turmoil because he did not do a good job of selling the HST to the public.

NDP House Leader Mike Farnworth, standing not far from Mr. Vander Zalm, said that Wednesday’s decision marked a turning point in B.C. politics.

“Seven hundred thousand people have signed a petition and it passed the threshold. I think that is a remarkable achievement in this province, and I think is a historic achievement in British Columbia. We have never seen anything like that,” Mr. Farnworth said.

[Globe & Mail]