4/01/2010

HST Movement Gearing Up For April 6 2010

The Vancouver Media seems to think the HST Movement is fizzling. Funny, the people of BC don't seem to think it is. Maybe the MSM should get out and ask the population what they think instead of grabbing onto small situations like the restaurant industry apparently back peddling on their position. Does anyone think that they may have struck a deal with Campbells Liar Club? I Do.


Nothing short of a Revolution!

Our campaign to defeat the HST has exploded across the province. It has become a massive people’s movement that is reaching beyond the Initiative Petition to repeal the Hated Sales Tax, into a popular uprising to reclaim democracy.

Overcapacity crowds filled every town hall room we attended. Kamloops 240 + people. Vernon, 300+. Kelowna 250+ (Even with the Rockets playoff game on the same night). Penticton 510+ on a Sunday morning. Osoyoos 250 people! Trail 160. Cranbrook 300+. In some places, like Revelstoke, we had virtually no advertising, nor even an organizer in place for the meetings – and yet people came in droves to fill the hall.

In Salmon Arm, the room was set up for 200. After nearly 300 people packed the halls and walls of the venue there, the fire marshal came in and closed the doors. But rather than go home, people stood outside in the doorways to hear the presentation.

We finished our Okangan/Kootenay Tour with a final stop on the way home in Chilliwack, where 300+ people showed up, forcing the organizers to add three more rows of seats, and still it was standing room only.

Everywhere we go, people tell us they are outraged that when so many people reject a government policy -  a government policy they have no mandate for - not one of the MLAs on the government side will stand up for their constituents. Not one government MLA will represent the people who pay their salaries and pensions, and instead arrogantly plow ahead with a cruel, hurtful tax that nobody wants, and which will do massive harm to the BC economy.

They won’t listen, so we will force them to. The Citizen Initiative petition is the best tool we have ever had to make the government abide by the wishes of the people they are supposed to serve.

We will kick off our campaign for the Fight HST Citizen Initiative petition on April 6th at 7:30pm right in the premier’s own riding of Point Grey – at Kitsilano Secondary School.

Please circulate this message to everyone you know. We want  everyone to come and give the premier a message he can’t ignore.
Starting on April 6th, the people of BC are going to teach their government the biggest lesson in the history of Canadian democracy.

It’s about time – isn’t it?

Bill Vander Zalm
Leader
Fight HST

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Am I mistaken, about someone going to Point Grey with a petition, to kick Campbell out? It seems the people in that riding, despise Campbell, as the rest of the province does. I have also heard rumors of a general strike. Does anyone have the scoop? BC is terminally ill and Campbell and Hansen seem to want to, kill the entire province.

Gary E said...

There's no mistake about a petition in Point Grey. The problem is it is not a petition to kick Campbell out. It is a petition against his big Lie about the HST.
As far as people in his own riding despising him, it's too far away for me to hear these rumors.
On a general strike: I have actually e-mailed Jim Sinclair of the BC Federation of Labour calling for a general strike if this legislation is passed in the Legislature. But I have had no response of any kind. So for me it is just a rumor. If the FED is working on a strike it is a pretty well kept secret.
In my e-mail I specified that a strike like this should be continued until a emergency session is called to repeal the legislation. Because we all know what kind of lies this government espouses. That would be almost everything they do.

kootcoot said...

"There's no mistake about a petition in Point Grey. The problem is it is not a petition to kick Campbell out. It is a petition against his big Lie about the HST."

But come November, Gordo's Point Grey riding may be one of the most vunerable to RECALL. He didn't do that well for a sitting (and drinking) premier in last May's phoney excuse for an election

Gary E said...

So True Koot,so true.And I live in THE most vulnerable riding. Cariboo Chilcotin. Have I mentioned that Donna Barnett has committed political suicide? She has come out swinging with the party line. I guess that Campbell has whipped her into place. And of course now the cookies are being doled out. It will be interesting to see how the people react to having their votes bought.

Hugh said...

I don't understand.

By allowing businesses to write off more of their expenses, the HST is supposed to save businesses $1.9 billion?

That means $1.9 billion less tax for BC Govt? The Govt will make up some of that from taxes on things which were previously untaxed, but not $1.9 billion?

Will the HST mean less total net tax for the BC Govt than the current system?

Gary E said...

Hugh. I don't think this tax is allowing business to write off anything. Someone may correct me but my understanding is that this grab, which is unconstitutional, shift the burden of taxing to the consumer. According to the gov't this will free up billions of dollars for business allowing them to decrease their prices. Now that is a croc because businesses are in business to make money in the first place. So why in hell would they give up increasing profits. They'll just let the consumer pay the bill. If anyone has a different take on this you are welcome to comment.

Leah said...

Big Business will get all the taxes they pay back, effectively they'll pay zero tax...we won't get any of what we pay back, neither will small business.

This is a "tax shift"..from corporations to the taxpayers of BC. This is NOT new money coming into government coffers...GC stated openly "the HST is revenue-neutral"...which means the government neither increases or decreases what they receive in tax. The only difference is where the HST is going to come from...ALL of it comes from our pockets.

Gary E said...

Thanks for that Leah. I've been so busy with the canvassing (getting set up) that I didn't have much time to formulate a full answer to Hugh.

There is an update in the above post if anyone would like to calculate what this is going to cost just go to the sight. I am a very frugal spender being a pensioner with a new family and this farce will cost me $1750 per year. Looks more everyday that I may have to go underground.

Anonymous said...

Hansen's budget, is a killer for the less fortunate. The budget combined with the HST, is impossible, and, is going to force citizens to become homeless. As soon as the budget came out, the price gouging started. There are already communities setting up, an underground system, there will be a barter system in place as well. The budget and the HST, will take all the money from the poor, and, they will not have enough to live on. So we must go back to the old homestead days, neighbors helping neighbors.

Gary E said...

The underground economy has been my biggest fear in this farce of a tax grab. It will devastate this province.
About the gouging. ave you noticed that your camping fees have gone up considerably? The higher the fee the higher the tax grab.
The poor already don't have enough to live on. Trust me. Neither do the elderly on pensions.
In my experience so far this initiative is turning into a "stop Campbell and the Liberals" thing. Most people, especially those lulled by Campbell and the Mainstream Media into not voting in the last election, have awakened to what this government is really about. And they are saying "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore".