Response Letter from a BC Citizen to the Governor General of Canada re: #HST
Dec 5, 2009 Letters
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4 December, 2009
Rt. Hon. Michaelle Jean
Governor-General of Canada
Rideau Hall
1 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A1
Madam:
As a citizen of Canada, with all of the rights – and responsibilities – attached thereto, I am writing to express my consternation at the reply provided, on your behalf, to former premier of British Columbia, William Vander Zalm.
As I hope you have been made aware, although they have not been allowed the courtesy of a referendum, a resounding majority of British Columbians are opposed to imposition of a harmonized sales tax in the province - the HST.
This is not a simple opposition to any tax reaction; thousands of small businesses and poor to middle-class citizens will suffer under seven percent increase in costs of products and services not previously subjected to a provincial sales tax.
Accordingly, Mr. Vander Zalm wrote to you in the hope – and in our expectation – that you would take steps to determine whether the lock-step plans of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Gordon Campbell, Premier of British Columbia, are legal and appropriate under the Constitution of Canada.
As I read a copy of his letter to you, Mr. Vander Zalm was not asking that you take a position on the tax per se.
Rather, you were asked to determine whether the appropriate constitutional divisions of power are being respected. If they are not, then in my opinion, and in the opinion of many others the tax would be illegal.
With respect for the position you hold, nothing in your reply indicates any concern on your part as to the serious implications underlying the Vander Zalm question.
That leads me to ask with reluctance: If you do not reside at Rideau Hall for the purpose of ensuring that the Constitution of Canada is upheld, what other justification is there to continue with a figurehead tradition?
In closing, I ask that you reconsider your off-hand response to a most serious petition, and provide Mr. Vander Zalm with an in-depth opinion on the questions he asked on behalf of many, many thousands of British Columbians.
It would also be much appreciated if you would confirm that you, personally, have seen and read both Mr. Vander Zalm’s petition and this emailed letter.
Yours truly,
Elizabeth James
North Vancouver
Tags: british columbians, class citizens, consternation, constitution of canada, gordon campbell, governor general of canada, harmonized sales tax, HST, michaelle jean governor general, ottawa ontario, premier of british columbia, prime minister stephen harper, provincial sales tax, resounding majority, rideau hall, rights and responsibilities, stephen harper, sussex drive
December 9th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
I am a Realtor and businessman in the Interior of B.C.
I strongly oppose the HST as I believe it will stiffle tourism and will only increase costs to the average Canadian and take away the responsablity of predominantly foreign owned business in the province.. It will also slow the growth of rural Canada and make people not move to smaller communties and the income of small business owners in these rural communities will decrease.
February 4th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
I am also strongly opposed to the HST and have just now emailed the Prime Minister of BC and the Governor General and my Federal MP. It all took only about 3 minutes…if everyone opposed to this did this we would get much more than the minimal 10% votes in each riding that we need to abolish this tax! GO FOR IT! United we can fight this!