Madam Speaker,

I rise to oppose Bill 9, the Consumption Tax Rebate and Transition Act.

Or, in other words… an act to bring in the HST.

Today, I want to talk about why New Democrats are opposed to this Bill.

I want to talk about what this Bill says about this government.

And I also want to talk about how I believe we need to defeat it.

But first, I want to begin with how we got here.

Begin with the chain of events that saw this government break trust with the people of British Columbia… and go back on a fundamental commitment they made to the public.

It all started last spring, in a tough-fought election campaign.

Throughout that election, the government promised… in fact insisted… that BC’s deficit would be $495 million dollars maximum.

Those were the words of the Premier. That was the commitment he made to British Columbians time and again.

But as he repeated those words to voters, what the public didn’t know was that behind closed doors, Liberals at the highest level were being told that the forecast wouldn’t hold.

We now know that both the Premier and the Finance Minister were given updates by senior officials about BC’s finances during the election campaign.

They were told that revenue forecasts were off by hundreds of millions of dollars.

But despite that fact, despite the Premier himself was told that the forecasts were off, the Liberals stuck to their budget line.

They didn’t come clean with the public.

They chose to keep voters in the dark about the true state of finances for our province, until after the election.

After the election, the Liberals worked quickly to try and cover up that budget deception...

To try and cover up what they knew -- but didn’t tell -- British Columbians during the campaign.

They actually started working with Ottawa to bring in the HST.

Now, the public wasn’t expecting the Liberals to introduce the HST...

Why did they not expect it? Because the Liberals promised not to bring it in during the election campaign.

They even put that promise in writing.

They said and I quote, “The BC Liberals have no plans to formally engage the federal government in discussions about potential harmonization.”

Well it’s pretty clear that promise wasn’t worth the paper it was written on.

Because it took them only 72 hours to break that promise.

Just last week we learned that three days after the election, three days, conversations started between officials in BC and officials in Ottawa about the HST.

Three days.

Did they have the conversation with the public then? No.

It wasn’t until a late Thursday afternoon in July, in the middle of summer… that they finally let British Columbians in on their HST secret.

They held back on an HST announcement for almost two months…

…Because they knew they broke a fundamental commitment to the people of this province…

…and because they knew the people of this province would be furious.

Since then, we’ve seen story after story from this Liberal government to try and convince the public the HST is a good idea...

But it won’t work.

Because no matter how many experts the Liberals hire to say the HST will create jobs, we know it's a job killer.

No matter how many times they say it will pay for health care, we know it's just a gimmick.

And no matter how much money they spend on pro-HST propaganda, we know this about the HST.

We know it’s a regressive tax. We know it will cost BC thousands of jobs.

We know it will make life harder for families. For businesses. For British Columbians who want to make green choices. For British Columbians struggling to make ends meet.

That’s why people from all walks of life and all political stripes are uniting. They’re speaking with one voice… and they’re telling this government to back off the HST!

Madam Speaker,

The more stories the Liberals tell about the HST... the angrier the public gets.

Because British Columbians know that this tax isn’t about helping families thrive or businesses grow….

This tax is about covering up their fiscal mismanagement.  

If the Liberals truly believed that the HST was good for BC…

…if they truly believed, as we heard the Minister and others say, that it was the single-greatest thing we could do for our economy…

…they should have been honest about it. They should have been up front about it. And they should have campaigned on it.

But they didn’t.

Instead, they kept the public in the dark. 

Madam Speaker,

The public is angry.

And they’re angry, not just because they don’t support the HST...

…they’re angry but because this Bill represents a style of decision-making that frustrates British Columbians.

They’re told one thing… and then they get another.

The worst of old-style politics.

That approach to decision-making… that approach to governing is the wrong approach.

Which is why you see hundreds of thousands of British Columbians opposing this tax.

And New Democrats are standing with them.

Standing with citizens from all parts of the province, from all walks of life.

And I’m so proud to stand here in this House today… and oppose this legislation.

Proud to give voice to the overwhelming majority of British Columbians… voice to the people who are against this tax and aren’t being listened to.

I’ve travelled to communities across this province… to show the public we’re with them in this fight.

New Democrats are fighting this tax… because it’s the wrong tax at the wrong time.

We’re fighting the HST… because we believe in openness and honesty.

And we’re fighting the HST… because we know it should be defeated!

Because Madam Speaker... despite what the BC Liberals would have the public believe... the HST is not a done deal.

Not until every single Member in this House stands to cast their vote.

And every single person in this House has a choice to make.

To vote for… or against …a Bill that will hurt BC families, businesses and our economy, and locks us in to an agreement with the federal government for five long years.

Madam Speaker,

I want to take this moment to speak to the Liberal backbench...

...who I would imagine feel every bit as frustrated... every bit as betrayed as the public by this Bill.

After all, to give them the benefit of the doubt, they campaigned in good faith on the BC Liberal promise that said they wouldn’t bring in the HST.

They told their constituents there wouldn’t be such a tax.

Constituents, by the way, they were elected to represent in this Legislature.

And now, these backbenchers are being asked to go back on their word... to go against the will of their constituents and their communities...

I don’t blame them for feeling frustrated. I don’t blame them for feeling betrayed.

And I don’t blame them for feeling a little uncomfortable, Madam Speaker.

Because when they go back to their communities, they have to defend this tax in the face of growing public anger.

Anger that we haven’t seen in this province in a long time.

Frankly, Madam Speaker, I think some of those MLAs are in denial.

In debate on this Bill, the Member for Maple Ridge-Mission called the HST the “honest sales tax.”

That’s absurd, Madam Speaker.

If the member wanted to be honest with the people of Maple Ridge and Mission, he would keep his word and vote against the HST!

Then there was member for Burnaby North, who actually claimed in this Legislature “there are no valid arguments … for opposing the HST.”

It’s those kinds of statements that will only further stoke public outrage in his community… and every community across this province.

And the member for Nechako Lakes said, “Delivering on HST is delivering on what people asked for in the election campaign in my riding.”

A statement that absolutely flies in the face of poll after poll after poll.

British Columbians are opposed to the HST.

Maybe it’s the extreme pressure they’re under, Madam Speaker, but it’s clear these backbenchers have failed to grasp the reality of the HST.

Well, I’d like to give them a wakeup-call.

I want them to realize that despite their rhetoric… despite what their Party says... they have a choice.

Every member has a choice. The power to make a change.

And I invite those Liberal MLAs to stand with us and say No to the HST and No to this legislation!

Madam Speaker,

I can appreciate how difficult that might seem...

But if there was ever a time to show British Columbians you care about their views...

If there was ever a time to show British Columbians you’re listening to their concerns...

...now is the time.

And it’s OK to change your mind. It’s OK to admit you made a mistake.

To stand up in this Legislature and say, “My community is speaking loud and clear. They’re up in arms about the HST, they don’t want it, I didn’t talk to them about it. I’m going to honour that, so I won’t be supporting this Bill.”

I understand that’s a very tough thing to do.

But deep down, we all know it’s the right thing to do.

Because this debate is about more than what’s written on this piece of paper.

This Bill will have a huge impact on the lives of our people… on businesses… and on communities.

Madam Speaker,

That’s why this debate matters.

And I encourage all members of this House to reflect not only on those stories… but their own stories… the stories of countless other British Columbians who will be affected by this Bill…

As we go through this debate that’s what we should be remembering…

We should be remembering the people in our communities. The businesses in our communities. That’s who we were elected to represent.

Because that’s what this debate is about, Madam Speaker.

It’s about doing right by British Columbians.

It’s about using the power granted to us by the people… to pass laws that help them instead of hurt them.

It’s about giving British Columbians a forward-looking vision for our province…

…making BC more inclusive, more economically prosperous.

The BC Liberals have failed to provide that vision.

All they’ve offered is the HST… a failed economic strategy, if it ever was one.

The best thing we can do for our economy isn’t the HST, Madam Speaker.

It’s preparing our children for tomorrow's knowledge economy with a quality public education system for all.

The best thing we can do for our economy isn’t the HST, Madam Speaker.

It’s investing in new technologies so BC can create and attract good-paying, sustainable, green jobs.

The best thing we can do for our economy isn’t the HST.

It’s enhancing public services; it’s supporting the health and quality of life of BC families.

That’s how we’re going to build the British Columbia of tomorrow.

Not a tax that’s going to make life harder for people.

A tax that does nothing to build that future.

Madam Speaker,

If we want BC to succeed, we must build a dynamic economy that works for everyone.

One that builds wealth, encourages business, rewards risk, creates jobs.

We need to build an economy that supports strong public services and social programs to support those in need,

We need to ensure a clean environment that promotes a green, sustainable future.

That’s the kind of vision that’s needed in British Columbia.

A long-term vision with practical solutions to address our social, economic and environmental challenges.

Leadership that makes smart investments in people.

That seizes the opportunity of the current moment to help realize BC’s potential.

We on this side of the House are committed to providing that vision. We’re committed to providing those solutions.

And unlike this government, we’re committed to working with British Columbians from all walks of life, all corners of this province, all sectors of our economy… to make it happen.

Madam Speaker,

That work starts today.

It starts by making sure that we defeat this Bill and embrace a vision for a better British Columbia for the people of this province.