RECALL
After a great FightHST Citizen's Initiative Campaign where all of BC made a difference, we are gearing up for the BC Recall portion of the Fight against the HST in BC.
Starting this week we will post random MLA Profiles from our list of 24 for discussion on the FightHST website. We are also starting to collect BC Recall Volunteer submissions. If you would like to help recall an MLA in your area or if you would like to help recall an MLA in other area's of BC, please go to our website and register, this registration also gives you an opportunity to suggest additional MLA's to recall if you feel we missed one. Should you simply wish to receive email notifications about what is going on at FightHST during the BC Recall Campaign, register as well but select "CAN'T HELP BUT WOULD LIKE EMAIL UPDATES".
The first BC Recall MLA up for discussion this week is none other than Ida Chong. Click here: http://fighthst.com/chong-ida-mla-recall-chopping-block/ to read the profile and discuss in the comment section.
Lovely racist and sexist comments against Ida Chong on that site.
Question: if MLA's from a provincial governing party were recalled to leave said governing party in a minority, or so deep in a minority that that party would have no chance to cobble together enough support to pass any legislation until byelections were held to fill the vacancies, would the opposition be permitted to introduce a no-confidence motion and pass it during the time when those seats were vacant, or would the legislature be considered to be prorogued until the byelections were held?
Question: if MLA's from a provincial governing party were recalled to leave said governing party in a minority, or so deep in a minority that that party would have no chance to cobble together enough support to pass any legislation until byelections were held to fill the vacancies, would the opposition be permitted to introduce a no-confidence motion and pass it during the time when those seats were vacant, or would the legislature be considered to be prorogued until the byelections were held?
The goverment would probably make sure that the House wouldn't be sitting prior to a period of "uncertainty"
Is it likely that most provincial Lt. Governors would be as pliable on the matter as the soon-to-be retired governor general was in a somewhat similar situation?
Is it likely that most provincial Lt. Governors would be as pliable on the matter as the soon-to-be retired governor general was in a somewhat similar situation?
Probably even more so-look at Manitoba, for example. How long did Filmon get away with not having the Legislature sit?
Thanks for the information. This suggests that successful recall efforts would more likely produce the paralysis of the existing provincial government, rather than actually leading to its removal from office OR the repeal of HST. Good to know.
Can we also start a recall campaign against any NDP sitting members who refuse to state in writing that they will get rid of the HST when they form the government and have them agree to resign their seat if the HST is not repealed within 90 days of taking office - what's the point in recalling the Liberals if the other party isn't going to do what the citizens want and that is get rid of the HST and I mean get rid of it - not enhance the credits or exemptions for lower income people. If the Liberals fall and the NDP start to govern do you think that VanderZalm and Delaney are going to go away if the HST isn't repealed.
Then we have the problem of just what provincial taxes to re-instate - Sales Tax, Liquor tax, hotel tax, Excise tax etc and a what rate - would they also rescind the $1000.00 increase in the personal exemption which was given to help lessen the burden.
Politics101, in terms of what taxes to reinstate, the hotel tax is still there, as is the liquor tax, excise tax, and any other provincially collected taxes, except for the PST. What the HST did was allow an additional 7% tax to be charged on goods that were (with few exceptions) previously exempt from PST. In terms of recall of NDP sitting members, if they dare campaign on the issue of rescinding the HST they are loading the guns against themselves. One reason would be that the economic hardship brought upon BC by having to pay back the 2.4 billion dollars the fed coughed up as bribe money for going to the HST. Imagine you're an NDP candidate running in the 2013 campaign, (and you have the courage of your convictions and are playing it honestly and straight up) and you're asked what the cost of repealing the HST would be to the province, would you answer "2.4 billion plus interest, plus having to reinstitute the PST and the costs and charges related to that in setting up once again a separate bureaucracy." Then the follow up would be, "where's the money going to come from to pay that back and set that up?" And keeping in mind, you're running to get elected, just how would you answer that one?
Please don't take the above as somehow being supportive of the HST, because I'm not at all. But for all the lying and deceiving Campbell did during the 2009 campaign, one thing he was truthful on was when asked why he was against (at the time) the HST, and he referenced the effect it would have on future governments. The effect is the above. So, yeah, the NDP candidates could go around promising to repeal the HST. But I think that given the costs to the people of BC, and the amount of work involved in unwinding it, that would be highly disingenous of them to do. Because if they did, that money has to come from somewhere and the taxpayers are tapped out as it is. So my guess would be even deeper cuts to health care, education, social spending, things near and dear to the BCNDP. Either that, or they would blow the idea of not running high deficits to pay for things now, and load the gun for the conservatives and the BC Fiberals to attack them.
If elected, and there's no way that the federal government would let them out of the HST without getting all their money back, they should work within the system to allieviate to cost to the consumer through credits or something, or perhaps lower the provincial portion of the HST. Or even expand the personal exemption rather than rescind it. I don't really know what the answers are, as these are only ideas. But the next leader of the BCNDP will no doubt have to grapple with this question. Who that person maybe, who knows. Because when you look around right now, and for now, Carol is the leader, there is no heir apparent. That could be an interesting new thread. Who should succeed Carol James as leader of the BCNDP.
Unionist:
I just read the recall link on Ida Chong, and didn't see any racist or sexist comments on there. Alot of anger over her indulging herself in free meals (thus the comments Chowdown Chong). If that's the racist comments you're referring to, wow. I guess I was pretty racist when I called someone videotaping me on a picket line "one dumb f*ck" The fact I called him that had absolutely nothing to do with his being of asian descent, but more to the point of his being one dumb f*ck.
Where's the sexist comments? People are merely attacking an MLA that has betrayed her constituents, then sat there and tried to con them on why lying during an election campaign is a good thing. And then shoving a 7% tax increase up their poop shoots should make them feel better about living in Canada's most expensive province.
Recall was used successfully once. I think it was the Nanaimo-Parksville Liberal MLA who was forced to resign as he had done a number of stupid (Jafferesque) stunts. I believe the campaign did not go long before he responded to the public ridiculte.
Achieving legislative recall may be virtually impossible (it is significantly more difficult than the referendum), but if the campaign builds enough momentum it will make it impossible for the MLA's to function.
Politics101, in terms of what taxes to reinstate, the hotel tax is still there, as is the liquor tax, excise tax, and any other provincially collected taxes, except for the PST. What the HST did was allow an additional 7% tax to be charged on goods that were (with few exceptions) previously exempt from PST. In terms of recall of NDP sitting members, if they dare campaign on the issue of rescinding the HST they are loading the guns against themselves. One reason would be that the economic hardship brought upon BC by having to pay back the 2.4 billion dollars the fed coughed up as bribe money for going to the HST. Imagine you're an NDP candidate running in the 2013 campaign, (and you have the courage of your convictions and are playing it honestly and straight up) and you're asked what the cost of repealing the HST would be to the province, would you answer "2.4 billion plus interest, plus having to reinstitute the PST and the costs and charges related to that in setting up once again a separate bureaucracy." Then the follow up would be, "where's the money going to come from to pay that back and set that up?" And keeping in mind, you're running to get elected, just how would you answer that one?
Please don't take the above as somehow being supportive of the HST, because I'm not at all. But for all the lying and deceiving Campbell did during the 2009 campaign, one thing he was truthful on was when asked why he was against (at the time) the HST, and he referenced the effect it would have on future governments. The effect is the above. So, yeah, the NDP candidates could go around promising to repeal the HST. But I think that given the costs to the people of BC, and the amount of work involved in unwinding it, that would be highly disingenous of them to do. Because if they did, that money has to come from somewhere and the taxpayers are tapped out as it is. So my guess would be even deeper cuts to health care, education, social spending, things near and dear to the BCNDP. Either that, or they would blow the idea of not running high deficits to pay for things now, and load the gun for the conservatives and the BC Fiberals to attack them.
If elected, and there's no way that the federal government would let them out of the HST without getting all their money back, they should work within the system to allieviate to cost to the consumer through credits or something, or perhaps lower the provincial portion of the HST. Or even expand the personal exemption rather than rescind it. I don't really know what the answers are, as these are only ideas. But the next leader of the BCNDP will no doubt have to grapple with this question. Who that person maybe, who knows. Because when you look around right now, and for now, Carol is the leader, there is no heir apparent. That could be an interesting new thread. Who should succeed Carol James as leader of the BCNDP.
Firstly the transition dollars from the Federal government totals $1.6B, not $2.4B. Of this amount only about $500M has been issued to the provincial government. The costs of breaking the contract have been over blown.
As for the cuts/raise taxes/ debt arguement, the fact is that BC would be paying the HST forever,but the extra debt would get paid off.Do we want to stick our kids and grandkids with an unfair tax that goes on and on, or a small debt that will get paid off?
I would guess the best way to deal with the HST dollars that may be owed back to the federal governmnet is to issue very low yield bonds to the public and ask those against the tax to buy bonds to make it easier to repay the federal government. The other option would be to dare Harper to take the money back from transfers. The former would be a nice feel good move. The latter would put tons of political pressure on the Tories.
It's not as hard as some would like you to believe.
Bye, bye Kash Heed.
Check front page of today's Vancouver Sun. This sucker definitely should be recalled.
The Chinese-language pamphlets claimed the NDP would legalize cocaine, heroin and prostitution, and bring in a "death tax" on family inheritances. The new Democrats say the toxic flyer's cost them the closely fought election in a riding that's 40-per-cent Chinese.
Although Heed's former campaign manager, Barinder Sall, now faces criminal charges over the dirty tricks, Heed has always pleaded ignorance of the whole slimy affair.
That's largely backed up by the newly released warrants, in which Heed told the cops he didn't know what Sall was doing, didn't know Sall's title and had no idea how Sall became his campaign manager in the first place.
Guess he's not a details man. But there's one very weird part of the warrant, in which a witness claims Heed knew about the brochure, but
Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/opinion/Heed+cleared+will+return+cabinet/3635868/story.html?cid=megadrop_story#ixzz11jgSbDPA
Only one weird thing in the whole sleazy affair? Isn't it weird if you can't tell where your campaign manger came from or who he even is and when reading a Liberal Chinese brochure you think its about you. I'd like to see the Chinese brochure the former top cop is so confused that the former minister dosen't know what race he is in and who is even managing the whole affair now how weird can you get? Or what about a cop who isn't into details like this is supposed to be a legitmate article or is the reader just being taken for another ride....
Weren't the brochures in chinese? Does Heed read Chinese? How did he get the impression that these were NDP anti-Heed brochures?
Weren't the brochures in chinese? Does Heed read Chinese? How did he get the impression that these were NDP anti-Heed brochures?