Fight HST group ramps up talk of Liberal recalls

by Stephen Thomson on September 14th, 2010 at 4:17 PM

Fight HST organizers are preparing to unveil details of their plan to target Liberal MLAs for recall, says group spokesperson Chris Delaney.

Delaney said the goal is not to topple the government, but to pressure the Liberals to cancel the unpopular 12-percent tax.

“We’ll probably do three [MLAs] initially ”¦ and then add one every month after that. Exactly which ones, that’ll be revealed next week,” Delaney told the Straight today (September 14) by phone.

Former premier Bill Vander Zalm’s Fight HST camp has already revealed a “hit list” of 24 Liberal MLAs, including four from Metro Vancouver: Kash Heed (Vancouver-Fraserview), Gordon Hogg (Surrey-White Rock), Richard Lee (Burnaby North), and Minister of Children and Family Development Mary Polack (Langley).

The talk of recalls comes after a legislative committee ruled the future of the anti-HST petition should be decided through a non-binding, provincewide initiative vote in September 2011.

During deliberations, the committee rejected an option to instead send the petition and associated HST-extinguishment draft bill to the legislature for consideration.

Premier Gordon Campbell has reportedly said he will comply if more than half of the citizens who cast ballots in the initiative vote call for an end to the tax.

But the Fight HST group says they won’t take Campbell at his word alone and don't believe he will take steps to formalize a binding referendum on the HST. The group has also called for the vote to be held in 2010.

“We sort of took a day here to see what the premier was talking about because, had it been real, a legitimate offer, then we could cancel recall,” Delaney said.

“But it looks like it’s again another stall tactic, another trick rather than a legitimate, genuine desire to see the public will be facilitated. The only thing we can do now is go into recall.”

Delaney described the initiative vote as “nothing more than a large public opinion poll”.

Under the legislation that governs the recall process in B.C., more than 40 percent of valid voters in each targeted riding must sign a petition in order to unseat their MLA.

No recall campaigns can be launched until 18 months after the most recent general election, which in this case was held in May 2009. Delaney said that means the recalls could start in November.

Comments

17 Comments

NDB

Sep 14, 2010 at 5:41pm

Yes!!!

RECALL RECALL RECALL. After watching this unravel over the last 48 hours I have come to hate the Gordon Campbell and the Liberal government even more. They playing more games, stalling and even threatening us with "consequences" should we vote to kill the HST next year.

Recall in the fall!!

AW

Sep 14, 2010 at 5:53pm

Mr. Delaney. Let us vote on the HST as a province, not recalls which have a very politcal smell to them. Let the people decide on the issue yes or no

Camero409

Sep 14, 2010 at 5:57pm

I don't know what the FightHST motive is for the recall but mine is to topple the government. They all participated in the fraud elections in 2009, 2005 & 2001. In each and every election, promises were made by these LIARS and immediately broken once the LIARS were elected. They deserve to fired! Let the LIARS look for a minimum wage job at McDonalds and other similar outlets and see what havoc they have caused in peoples lives. Now Falcon is reducing our Medical Services Plan by a further 10%. He's on course to make the system fail and open the door to private for profit Insurance Companies. Fire them all. They are scum!

Jim Van Rassel

Sep 14, 2010 at 6:29pm

Well well well looks like some higher profile NDPers are going to bail on the Party, due to that Buulllshit! yesterday with Mikey Mike and the funky bunch hoping into bed with the liberals on the promise of an orgy lathered in taxpayer money and power.
Jim Van Rassel
Coquitlam BC

glen p robbins

Sep 14, 2010 at 6:29pm

This is how crooked politics in BC are. Angus Reid has Campbell at 12% on the 10th of September.

Global TV (Campbell TV) just announced (14th Sept.) a Mus(t)(ca)tel poll - {Joan McIntyre is a BC Liberal MLA and former partner-to M(t)tel}---saying that Campbell is at 34%--THREE TIMES ANGUS REID---the margin of error has a swing of (9%) - so they could be saying Campbell is (24%) or (45%) --, we (ZEUS ROBBINS) have Campbell and BC Liberals at 17% or one half of Must(ca)tel--while Angus Reid has Campbell Liberals at (23%).

If you want more evidence about Mus(t)(ca) tel check the 2009 provincial election----------------------

Who with an IQ over room tempurature would buy this? Answer: no-one only (some) BC Liberal supporters.

I have always said -- that public opinion is bought advertising - in the mainstream - and this garbage proves me right {Harris Decima -was/is owned by a lobby company}.

My point to Chris Delaney is - recognize the whole structure - government and media is the scam -- they are at a point in panic--don't negotiate --- take any mechanism available and destroy them---attack--attack--they are desperate and weak -- and fearful of the rise of a third party.

The Petition Iniative was a platform only -- there is no teeth - recognize it for what it is -- a toothless public relations exercise - that many British Columbians participated in -- these other pollsters/news folks don't want change---//the Recall has teeth--forces a by-election if successful and is an opportunity to run ruthless campaigns against isolated MLA's---if your Murray Coelle in Saanich and the Islands (Labour Minister) are you asking Campbell to come to your riding and support you? No

It's a license for political murder---------the establishment doesn't own it --Fight HST and the people own it.

Hope the rumour are true and Chris Delaney is leaving BC Conservative grumpy old men party.