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Is Gordon Campbell the best B.C. can do?
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Candidate
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| Contributor | Monsieur |
| Last Edited | Monsieur Aug 17, 2009 09:57am |
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| Category | Opinion |
| Author | Raphael Alexander |
| News Date | Sunday, August 16, 2009 03:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | It’s been two months since the election in British Columbia delivered the Liberals to their third majority government, but already the backlash against them has been significant.
In their short time since May 12, they’ve managed to alienate, irritate, and discombobulate residents in this province with their many frustrating unilateral policy moves. Even rather apolitical friends and coworkers have commented on the HST, and what an absolute disgrace it is to implement after giving no indication whatsoever that it was coming before the election. If anything, the Liberals had said that the HST would hurt the province’s ability to control their revenues, and didn’t want to be tied up in their fiscal maneuvers.
The fact is that people here have good reason to be concerned by the HST. It will add a cost-of-living increase to numerous items that weren’t previously so expensive, and in a region of Canada like Vancouver, that can be devastating to the working class. As Scott Simpson reported in the Vancouver Sun, the HST will directly increase energy costs for customers of Terasen Gas and B.C. Hydro. The average cost for natural gas and electricity will likely jump by a combined total of $12 a month when the HST goes into effect on July 1, 2010.
Of course there is one way out of this. And the rage might just be strong enough to make it happen. A recall campaign gaining 40% of the signatures of registered voters to end the Liberals legislative majority may be possible. The downside to this idea, however, is that under B.C. Elections laws, any recall cannot start until 18 months after the election, which would be November 2010, four months after the HST goes into effect. |
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