Though the NDP has designs on sending the historic anti-HST petition to a vote in the legislature, the chairman of the committee in charge of deciding its fate might have other plans. Terry Lake, Kamloops-North Thompson Liberal MLA and chairman of the standing committee on government initiatives, won’t say what he would like to see done with the petition, but he told KTW he and his fellow Liberal MLAs feel a referendum has “merit.” “There’s a lot to be said — in the face of the information and misinformation — going to the people and having an opportunity to present a case on either side,” he said. “Those who say, ‘You should represent the views of the people,’ certainly one way to get the view of the people is to ask them directly.” Lake said he’s fielded calls and emails from constituents who signed the anti-HST petition, but claim they were given misinformation and now have a different opinion on the tax since it came into effect on July 1. “The reality is, 18.6 per cent of eligible British Columbians signed a petition over a fairly extensive period of time. Perhaps that reflects the view of most British Columbians, but I think it would be wrong of me to assume that is the case,” he said.
The 10-member committee, which is made up of six Liberal and four NDP MLAs, met for the first time on Wednesday, Sept. 8, but adjourned the meeting until Monday, Sept. 13. The committee wants to hear from acting chief electoral officer Craig James to get more information on a referendum. The NDP accused the Liberals of stalling, a claim brushed aside by Lake, who said the committee wants more specific details on the referendum option, including the price tag of a provincewide vote. “We want to do this in an expeditious manner but, at the same time, we don’t want to rush this through without giving it the proper thoroughness that it deserves,” Lake said.
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