Selected Articles - Morning Star News

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Editorial: Morning Star News --Liberals hope voters forget

MLA Eric Foster tries to portray the Liberal government as the great defender of democracy but it’s all a diversion.

Instead of wanting to ensure a voice for all British Columbians, the government is hoping the entire debate surrounding the harmonized sales tax will slip off the radar between now and September 2011’s referendum — that the public will become complacent and forget about the questionable actions prior to the tax coming into force.

The coming year will also give the government considerable time to step up the pro-HST machine. Millions in taxpayers’ dollars will be spent trying to convince them that they made a mistake in signing the anti-HST petition and the government knows best.

Premier Gordon Campbell promises that he will accept a simple majority result from the referendum, but that goes against the legislation which says such a process isn’t binding and a “double majority” vote. If Campbell truly wants to do the right thing, he will initiate immediate changes to the legislation so it reflects a simple majority and a binding outcome. He should also insist that a referendum is held sooner than later.

By delaying a decision on the HST for a year, the Liberals could also help create continuous political turmoil. If Bill Vander Zalm initiates recall of MLAs, the government will be more focused on trying to preserve itself than running the province.

What would have been best is to resolve the debate with a vote in the Legislature, but instead, the Liberals want to avoid the issue for a year.

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