The legislation paving the way for the Harmonized Sales Tax made it through the BC Legislature late last week, as the Liberals invoked closure on the bill, ending the debate.

“There are 213 sections to the bill and we were only through 50 or so,” said Columbia River Revelstoke MLA Norm Macdonald. “There was still a long way to go but they invoked closure. It wasn’t necessary, there could have been time to debate the bill. They had an opportunity to bring it in sooner and there’s still a month to go. They created an artificial deadline. It’s just another abuse of the legislature.

“The implementation of the HST is one of the issues that has raised the most public interest that I can recall in the time that I have been in Victoria,” said Macdonald. “I can’t remember any issue that has been so thoroughly discussed by the public.

“I also cannot recall any time that the people have so clearly been against a government action. Every poll on the issue proves it.”

Macdonald is also unimpressed with the press release the Liberal government put out on the legislation entitled ‘It’s Official - PST Eliminated in BC’.

“It’s because of stuff like that that they are falling in the polls.

Please see Page 4

“This is the introduction of a tax that will have a huge impact on businesses in Kimberley and Kimberley people have been very clear about what they think of it.

““This bill which will drastically change our tax system contains 213 sections. Each of those sections needs to be examined yet the BC Liberals shut debate down after only a quarter of those sections had been covered.

“People want to have their say on the HST and now the BC Liberals will not even allow fulsome debate on the legislation. It’s an attempt on the part of this government to over-ride democracy and I can’t imagine that British Columbians are going to stand for it.”