How about a general strike now? Probably not though after all I still see them lined up for the HST coffee they cant do with out not even for a few days so we can force this to be heard. Me, I will not buy anything here in BC anymore. I dont think I even payed ten dollars yet in HST and will be going to Alberta next week for my reglar shopping trip. I hope these businesses here STARVE TO DEATH. I wont buy anything here anymore.

Peter and Dawn are right on, yet again.
We should be gearing up to turf those "Liberal" politicians who think this province belongs to corporations and not to flesh and blood citizens whose votes are solicited every few years before they are ignored.
I hope that good, dedicated candidates would be coming forth soon to provide alternatives to this crew.
Next stop, Harper's bunch of control freaks.

I'm SummerSoul and this is just SummerSoul's opinion.

General Strike!!!

This is outrageous. Clearly it is an affront to democracy and the democratic process.

It takes one corrupted bureaucrat to overrule the democratic will of the people?

The referendum act written by Bill Vanderzalm clearly states this now goes forward. Court challenges happen simultaneous in a democracy and don't overrule the democratic process. This election BC Chief is paid something like $350,000 a year last I heard and his only task is to ensure the votes in BC are counted fairly and the Elections act is administered. He has no right what so ever in his mandate to thwart the democratic will of the people over any court challenges by anyone.

The ndp should immediately put forward legislation to impeach the man who made this ruling against the rule of law and our democratic rights.

The Vanderzalm group should start immediately the recall process on every single one of the corrupt self serving liberal MLA's before they and their multinational corporate friends can do any more damage to our democracy in this province.

The law is the law and it is clearly laid out, and Elections BC has decided to take a partisan political position in violation of the law.... the people of BC should not for one minute put up with that when it comes to the basic right of our vote being heard.

Some say the next generation will not live in a democracy anymore... maybe that day is already here and this decision is a watershed moment in the loss of our democratic rights to protect our society from the power of corporate interests that now govern us.

Whether you are for or against the HST I can not for the life of me see how anyone can not see what is going on as a monumental violation of our democratic rights from the very inception of this HST process. This enables any future government of extreme to do the exact same thing, and as such is a threat to everyone whether pro business, pro labor, or pro anything else... it all is threatened when we no longer have the rule of law protecting the democratic process... when the gate keepers of our vote are controlled yes men of a multinational autocracy.

Rest in peace democracy in BC... until we can recall those liberals at least anyways.

I agree... this is what unions are for. It is clearly time for a general strike to show that we will not allow our democracy in this province to be hijacked by suits in foreign board rooms.

A "General Strike", as much as many would like to see one, would tend to play into the hands of the government at this point in the process. It is far better, I think, that we remain within the Law and proceed with organising the upcoming Recall campaigns, and do our best to see they're overwhelmingly successful.

The issue now is whether we do,or do not, still have 'representative' government in BC.

'Responsible' government, which we used to have, has been steathily filched away from us by Campbell's early enactment of the Fixed Election Date Legislation, which precludes our call for a general election on the HST issue now.

It is time for us to thwart his further attempts to make individual Liberal
MLAs even less representative of the overwhelming desire of the electorate that they are supposed to work for than they already are,
and Recall in the Fall is our best chance at doing just that.

Lets give Gordon Campbell a message even he won't be able to ignore. And do it within the Law, with no excuses for him to act against us on the pretext of retaining government control versus the anarchy of mob rule.

Ben. What is up? You get appointed to the Law Society board and option250 becomes an opinion site?

This "article" by Ewart & Hemmingway looks like it belongs down here with the comments and does not appear at all to be an attempt a journalism.

Sure, the regular pack who comments down here loves it but those of us who come here for news are not impressed.

Sorry. My mistake. I took another look and it is sorted under "views". I was wrong. Please disregard my comment.

This action proves that we don’t have a true democratic system, where government power is derived from the people, where equality and freedom are paramount characteristics and all citizens have equal access to power. This feels more like a dictatorship; a government controlled by one person or a small group of people, who use the power to their own advantage, failing to consider what the people of this Province want. I think it is a sad and corrupt system. I applaud Mr. Vanderzalm in his efforts to see that the voices of the people of this Province are heard. If our elected officials refuse to listen to the people, then at least we have somebody stepping up to challenge the actions and decisions made by Gordon Campbell and his cronies. Perhaps in my younger years I was naive, but I cannot recall ever seeing our political leadership engage in such corruption, from the sale of BC Rail to the HST (and numerous other actions in between), and it seems they are going to get away with it. By the time the BC Rail issue is resolved and by the time this HST issue is resolved, Gordon Campbell will be long gone from this Province, but he will continue to reap the financial and political benefits from the decisions he has made during his time in power, at the expense of the people he was supposed to represent.

It may be time for a GENERAL CONSUMER STRIKE [nee BOYCOTT] in British Columbia. 700,000 voters have been betrayed by political manoeuvring. VOTE with your POCKETBOOK!
...deMOCKracy is tyranny ...

12% of nothing is nothing.
(Grogan's Slogans strikes again!)

I agree with the views previously expressed. The Liberals,while in opposition, colluded with the RCMP and the TV station ( I'm not sure which. I think it was BCTV...it certainly was not CBC). The RCMP raided Glen Clark's house with the TV cameras rolling just before the 6 o'clock news. There was no enquiry ( a coincidence they said) and the newspapers agreed and so the witch hunt began. Now supposedly a neutral Elections BC is colluding with this corrupt government and the courts are once again being used injudiciously.

What we need to do here is to organize a recall. This cannot be done until 18 Months after the last election.

So in effect the first possible date would be sometime in November 2010. A recall requires signatures from 40% of the registered voters at the last election. So as an example for the riding of PG MacKenzie we would need 40% of 32913 registered voters or 13165 signatures. We have a 60 day time frame to get these signatures.

Remember that the Anti HST petition required 10% of the registered voters, and actually got over 15% roughly 7000 signatures. A recall requires a much bigger effort.

There is probably no sense in going into a recall just before Christmas, so I am guessing that a recall campaign will be launched in the PG MacKenzie, and PG Valemount ridings sometime in January 2011.

If the recall is successful then the MLA is immediatley recalled from the legislature, and there must be a byelection called., The time frame for a byelection is three months, so if my understanding is correct we could have a change of Government by May or June of 2011.

I suspect that there will be Conservatives, and other political groups, including independents running in the byelections, so there is the possibility that we could have some new blood in the legislature by mid 2011.

There is still the possibility that the Liberals will do the right thing and recind the tax right away. Its pretty obvious that they do not have a mandate for this tax. They must get rid of the tax, or they will lose the Government.

Is this so hard to understand?? Lets here from Pat Bell and Shirley Bond. Will they cross the floor and sit as independents, or will they continue to hide behind the coattails of Campbell and Hansen.????

I think everyone can agree that the HST has been poorly communicated from the start.

I also think that the anti-HST petition has been done poorly and mostly as a public relations stunt.

My understanding is that the petition can only target provincial legislation. Which provincial bill has been passed to enact the HST? None. No provincial legislation was needed to introduce the HST.

The Federal Government has enacted the HST--not the province. Granted, the Province didn't oppose the Federal Government, but you can't use the petition to oppose the Federal Government--it can only target actual Provincial legislation.

I'm sure the chief electoral officer is well aware of this and without any provincial legislation to target, exactly what is the chief electoral officer supposed to do?

VanderZalm is a seasoned politician and I'm sure he's well aware that his petition can't succeed. I'm sure he hopes to outrage the public to make recalls successful. Why not be upfront about this?

I think everyone can agree that the HST has been poorly communicated from the start.

I also think that the anti-HST petition has been done poorly and mostly as a public relations stunt.

My understanding is that the petition can only target provincial legislation. Which provincial bill has been passed to enact the HST? None. No provincial legislation was needed to introduce the HST.

The Federal Government has enacted the HST--not the province. Granted, the Province didn't oppose the Federal Government, but you can't use the petition to oppose the Federal Government--it can only target actual Provincial legislation.

I'm sure the chief electoral officer is well aware of this and without any provincial legislation to target, exactly what is the chief electoral officer supposed to do?

VanderZalm is a seasoned politician and I'm sure he's well aware that his petition can't succeed. I'm sure he hopes to outrage the public to make recalls successful. Why not be upfront about this?

Icicle it is not so much about the HST but how this corrupt anti democratic government operates. People have had enough and I just hope the protest keeps rolling.

How can one sign up to help with the recall process?

"Governments should fear the people, people should not fear their government":
Guy Falks.

It is time for the public to recognize who is really supposed to be in charge of their government. Enough people signed the petition to cause a spontaneous uprising in this province to get this man to listen to who really has the power. I support a general strike until "our" so-called government stops acting like a dictatorship.


STRIKE NOW!!!!

All our forefathers who fought for democracy are turning in their graves. This is a sad sad time for not only BC but for Canada as a whole.

It is a sad sad day when businesses have more say in our government than the people who pay the over bloated wages and retirement these traitors get.

Shame on this government and shame on us for allowing this to happen.

1 for big business and government
0 for the SHEEPLE

"Icicle it is not so much about the HST but how this corrupt anti democratic government operates."

-------------------------------------------

How about an indication of a very bright light at the end of the tunnel before supporting any strike or recall?

That light would be an iron clad unalterable guarantee in writing and notarized, by the party in waiting (the NDP) that it would immediately upon taking over the government cancel the HST agreement and reverse all the steps taken since its introduction.

No backing out, no weaseling out with lame excuses!

It would also have to be in writing and signed that if the new government fails to do and accomplish this within a certain amount of time that it would resign and call an election.

What good will all the gyrations and efforts do if at the end of the day nothing will have changed except that we had our revenge now instead of in May 2013?

Let's see if the NDP will come out and say something meaningful and definite for a change!

I agree...time for a damn good general strike, and I'm up for that!
This government has to go!
All of Canada is watching this to see how the voters of B.C. will deal with this latest Liberal violation of democracy!

Excuse my ignorance but what the heck are you guys talking about when you say STRIKE?
Do you mean demonstrating?
What exactly is STRIKE in this senario?

IMO...we are talking about a general shutdown of the entire province for a day...or however long it takes.
Everything grinds to a halt, and this government,along with Gordon Campbell,are toast!
And they damn well should be!

The NDP to the rescue. Bah ha ha hah ha
ROLFLMAO

In a theoretically open party system that is actually a 3 party system with only 2 of those parties active, and 1 is viewed as the runt, that is a charming concept.

Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result?

Yes we need a recall.
yes we need to elect a no representative. Thank goodness JH is leaving to open up the competition to new blood.

Please don't be a dumba$$ by voting for any of the 3 historical parties. Vote for an independent or the Re-federation Party or even the Marijuana Party if you must.

We need to stir the legislative pot (as in kettle), we need to put the fear of the voters into our elected leaders. As it is now, there are basically no repercussions for failure or even outright duplicity. Why should they care for our hue and cry once installed in office. So far we have done nothing but moan, and complain, then vote in the same self-interested, self indulgent elitists.

Okay but I still do not get "strike""shutdown". What does that physically involve us to do exactly?

*new representative*

IMO, leave work, do not return till HST is rescinded.

I am sure your employer will be understanding.

How about just stop buying liquor, ciggys, lottery tickets and cut down on gasoline purchases for a while? That oughta shake 'em up in Victoria and we can save ourselves a few bucks and maybe be healthier with no alcohol or tobacco.

Question: Who are the big six businesses funding this court case?

If we knew this, we could actually boycott and protest something substantial!

Aside from this, I am pro recall!

I agree Becca. Who are the big six funding this court case? I say shine a discerning light on them and turn up the temperature.

My understanding is that the BC Chamber of Commerce is one of those who brought this court case. A good place to start a bocott would be with their members. A list of the local Chambership is readily available.

If the HST is purely a Federal law beyond the competence of the Petition, then how does the Province set the rate of taxation applicable to its portion of it?

Does it request the Federal government do this, say, if it wanted to raise or lower the rate from the current 7%?

It's been implied that the Feds will comply in setting the rate at whatever the Province desires it be for BC's share of the take. Is this so? Or, if they are able to move alone, without a request from BC for a change, would this not mean that the BC government has surrendered its Constituional authority in a field of taxation WITHOUT seeking approval for such a change first, via a Referendum? Which, as I understand, is required under BC Law for any Constitutional changes.

So doesn't this in itself indicate that it is certainly within the competence of the Province to set the tax rate ~ that the Federal involvement in the process is a mere formality, like having the British Parliament amend the BNA Act of 1867, when it served as our Constitution, for instance?

Now if this is so, surely it must be clear to the bureaucrat at ElectionsBC who's decided to hold up a legitimate democratic process on such a lame excuse that "....it's before the Courts", that the ant-HST Petition is obviously valid.
For there is nothing to prevent the Province from simply requesting the Federal government set BC's tax rate under the HST at 0%, and BC restoring the PST as it existed before July 1st. We have not overturned ANY Federal law, or even made the attempt to do so. The HST can stand, as a Fewderal law, only BC's portion of the take is reduced to 0% on everything it applies to, and we go back to the PST as before.

Those involved in the Court challenge, the funding of it in any case, are large exporting companies, or those who contract for them.

COFI, and the Coast Forestry Association, are two of the names I've seen metioned as fronting this action, along with the BC Chamber of Commerce.

It would be very difficult to boycott the products of the memberships of any of these organsiations, since they're mostly goods sold outside of BC.

A General Strike at this point would do a great deal of harm to many small businesses who have been entirely 'on side' in supporting the anti-HST campaign.

To be successful, it would likely have to last some considerable time, and there's great danger in this that we would only be providing Campbell with an excuse to become even more draconian as a defender of public order.

There is a possibility that Bill Vander Zalm may try to present the now verified Petition directly to the Legislature at its next sitting, and if this comes to pass, the expressed wishes of 700,000 British Columbians would be hard for even Campbell's government to ignore, and still claim we are a 'democracy'. We really should begin to look at "Recall in the Fall" ~ that is our best way, still, of impressing upon this Party that we intend to have our way if gentler measures can't do it.

Here is a list of the six people named as proponents of the legal challenge to the HST, they are;

1. John Allan of the Council of Forest Industries
2. Pierre Gratton of the Mining Association of BC
3. Philip Hochstein of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Assoc.
4. Wayne Hoskins of the Western Convenience Stores Association;
5. Jeffery of the Coast Forest Products Assoc.
6. John Winter of the BC Chamber of Commerce.

Campaign records show the organizations behind the petition contributed $162,450.00 to the BC Liberal Party since 2005 and nothing to the NDP.

Are there any surprises here???? I think not.

What is at the heart of all of this is the politics of monopoly capitalism as driven by the power of international finance.

International finance targets profits in all cases, and in the pursuit of profits they always go after the choke point of profit creation. The choke point of profit creation is almost always in the end transaction, or the control of raw resources, and rarely in the value added process in between.

For international finance they love to control entire industries by taking control of the end transaction process and then harvesting the industry as a whole (ie the mega growth of derivatives, insurance, 'global prices', and WalMart ect). In this way as long as the industrial sector output remains consistent they can wreck havoc on the entire industry displacing domestic players through subsidized cheep debt financing for hostile takeovers, 'efficiency' programs, financially harvesting good companies for short term profits, or simply using debt financing (ie post Chapter 11 corporations) to take market share from their competitors that are not as well connected with the sources of capital (or can't write down their debt through restructuring).

HST fits well into the plan of the 'monopolist' of international finance. When the government can tax an industry directly the government has incentive to ensure the health of the industry players big and small. When the government can just get their taxes the simple way from an end user transaction it frees up statecraft to make changes to the game that can favor the consolidation of the industry into few hands with minimal disruption to government revenue and thereby fleece an economy of the vitality of its industrial base.

This is why you see the downloading of all taxation and all fees for service down to the end transaction is because it enables the greatest profit potential, and the surest form to consolidation of control. The ones collecting the fees on transactions get enormously rich, while providing very little in economic value (ie Wall Street). For governments the HST is a source of wealth with no moral obligations in to how it is spent, nor to the economy from which it is collected (its a Wall Street ponzi scheme of government finance).

This economic plan by the international finance that is implemented by our politicians.... mostly through ignorance and ideological blinders.... designs to consolidate all industry into a monopoly capitalism structure where a few small groups of men at the top will control the economy of the world, and all the profits that go with it. All the political 'parties' are guilty (the monopolists)... the liberals, the conservatives, and even the ndp all play from the international finance play book of monopoly capitalism and economic consolidation through their top down policy and and bottom up taxation.

The antidote to the monopoly capitalism that is envisioned by international finance is and always has been the concept of free enterprise economic diversification from the grass roots that values equal opportunity from the grass roots level on up... as well as fair trade (as opposed to free trade)... and regulations that protect the social, environmental, and above all the democratic rights and norms of the local economy over that of the foreign subsidized cheep labor, environmental degradation, and essential slave class political systems that are used as harbingers of our own economic demise as they are able to use the economic advantage of shorting out the expectations required in our society in order to economically undercut local companies and ultimately the free enterprise economy as it is lost to consolidation of the monoploy capitalists.

This HST issue is symptimatic of a much larger issue than just politicans that lie to get elected and then thwart the democratic process to ram through their own hidden internationalist multinational agenda.... it is symptimatic of the gutting of our free enterprise economy that our society and country were built on and it is being enabled by the political 'party system' that is acting as gate keepers to the citizens in which government is supposed to represent.

Of note that everyone should notice is what side the Chamber of Commerce is on... they have never stood for free enterprise and have always stood for monoploy capitalism of the opportunistic controlling type. Its a shame to see so many business that think having a membership with them is good for their business. Its an Orwellian organization on par with Collin Hansons level of double speak when it comes to what is good for a small business that requires a free enterprise economy to survive. Lending support and legitimacy to such an organization is a small business mistake that appears on the surface to be good for them, but in the end undermines their own ability to get their own free enterprise message some political recognition.

What we have today is gravitating it seems towards nazism or communism, but is really global zionism run out of Wall Street and Tel Aviv. Fascism at least respected the individual, family, and religion... where as nazism, communism, and zionism do not, as they are autocratic regimes of political thought driven by chosen people ideology that seek to consolidate power for the sake of power over other people. The people that control the central banks and the global capital need an ideology, and their ideology is zionism, and war through zionism, and financial consolidation through zionism protected by zionist controlled media and political parties that give them free rein to undermine and harvest our local economies no matter where we live on the planet anymore... if they get caught they can always hide out in Israel free of extradition for their crimes... the first step to blunting this formidable enemy of the free enterprise sovereign economic and political system is to recognize who our enemy is... and what their game plan is... and who their agent of influence are... and we have a long way to go as a society in that regard IMHO.

Thanks for the information Palopu! Now what could we do to put preasure on the big six?