Prince George Ministers Need To Stop Hiding From The HST
HAZELTON— B.C. Liberal ministers from Prince George need to stop hiding from the HST and explain why they are not representing their constituents at the cabinet table, says New Democrat deputy finance critic Doug Donaldson .
“Northerners are deeply concerned about the impact that the HST will have on basic
Doug Donaldson costs like clothing, rent, electricity and heat,” said Donaldson, the MLA for Stikine. “Shirley Bond and Pat Bell need to explain why they are ignoring the wishes of their constituents and supporting this regressive tax.”
Donaldson noted that in addition to clothing, rent, electricity and heat, the tax will also apply to restaurant meals, landline phone bills, school supplies, gym memberships, taxi fares, hair cuts, movie tickets, home renovations, domestic airline tickets, funerals, real estate fees, dry cleaning, vitamins, bicycles, magazines, newspapers and numerous other goods and services.
“It’s time for B.C. Liberal MLAs to come clean about whether they knew that Gordon Campbell planned to introduce this tax after the election, yet deliberately withheld that information from voters,” said Donaldson. “I am doubtful that these ministers would have been elected if they told people they planned to increase the cost of just about everything.”
Under the Campbell government, B.C. has had the worst rate of full-time job losses, the second-worst performing economy, and the highest level of child poverty in the country.
Carole James and the New Democrats have launched a petition to stop the HST, which is at http://www.bcndpcaucus.ca/en/StoptheHST.
