PRESS RELEASE: VANDER ZALM POLLS BC LIBERAL MLA’S ON HST SUPPORT

Nov 23, 2009 Press Release
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Says MLA’s not listening to constituents on new tax

Delta BC – Fight HST leader and former BC Premier, Bill Vander Zalm, says his group has just completed a survey of all BC Liberal MLAs asking them to state their position on the HST. Vander Zalm says he had members of the Fight HST team ask each Liberal MLA if they would vote for or against implementation of the new tax.

“A lot of MLAs did not answer the questionnaire. However, we received a number of replies, all of them convoluted and totally avoiding answering the simple question of “Do you support implementation of the HST in BC, yes or no?” said Vander Zalm.

“The NDP has come out against the HST. So has the lone Independent MLA, Vicky Huntington. We feel that constituents should know how the rest of their MLAs plan to vote, so they can tell them whether they agree or disagree with them. Unfortunately, all of the Liberals chickened out and wouldn’t answer,” explained Vander Zalm.

“We were also hoping to create a hit list for the potential ‘Recall’ campaigns that we will launch immediately following the Citizen Initiative petition in the spring of 2010. Knowing in advance whether an MLA will vote according to their constituents wishes, or according to the dictates of the premier, will help everyone decide which MLAs should or should not be Recalled.”

Vander Zalm pointed out that a “Recall” cannot be launched until 18 months after an election. The recent provincial election was just held in May of 2009, meaning a Recall cannot be initiated until November 2010 at the earliest.

“November will be a perfect time to mobilize our forces for Recall campaigns in specifically targeted areas. Even some of the newspaper columnists are suggesting Recall is a good idea. We agree, and will watch carefully to see how each MLA votes in order for Fight HST to make the right choices regarding Recalls,” explained Vander Zalm.

Vander Zalm also asked every Liberal MLA if they would hold an “HST Town Hall” meeting to allow constituents to make their views known on the tax. He says most refused to answer that question as well.

“They probably saw what happened to the Democrats this past summer during the Town Halls on health care reform in the U.S., and decided a real democratic debate might be too much for many of them to handle,” concluded Vander Zalm.

Vander Zalm is launching a media tour to raise awareness for the HST that will include speeches, debates and interviews throughout the province, beginning as follows:

1. Thursday, November 18^th, 8 AM, City TV – HST debate with Mr. Jonathan Winters, President of the BC Chamber of Commerce.

2. Friday, November 19^th, Interview with CFUN Radio in the morning.

3. Wednesday, November 25, Debate with a pro HST Liberal, hosted by the Tsawwassen Business Association.

4. Thursday, November 26, 12:00 noon, Speech to the Fraser Valley Business Association in Surrey.

Tags: bc premier, bill vander zalm, campaigns, citizen initiative, constituents, delta, hit list, huntington, independent mla, initiative petition, liberal mlas, Liberals, newspaper columnists, perfect time, provincial election ndp, questionnaire, right choices, vicky