HST snoozefest - what are the options?

The Select Standing Committee on Legislative Initiatives met for the first time on September 6, 2010 to start talking about the next step for the No-HST petition -- should it be voted on in the legislature or should it go to a province-wide referendum. Talk during the tedious meeting, and some comments by Premier Gordon Campbell, hint at where the committee may be heading.

The meeting, a snoozefest otherwise loaded with procedural stumbling and bumbling, saw NDP MLA Jenny Kwan make a motion to send the bill to the legislative assembly for a vote as soon as possible. She said that would be the quickest way for MLAs to be responsive to their constituents.

Eric Foster, a Liberal MLA, countered with a motion to adjourn debate on the NDP motion. He said the committee should be fully informed on the mechanics of the two options. The Liberals have a majority on the committee so they passed Foster's motion.

Eventually, the committee's big decision of the day was to meet next Monday when the Chief Electoral Officer, or someone from Elections BC, will tell them what they need to know about a referendum vote.

What are the tea leaves saying about what may happen? The Liberal committee members showed a lot of interest in the possibility of a referendum and wanted to know more about the cost. Then, on Sunday September 12, Premier Gordon Campbell said in a radio interview he was hearing from his constituents that they wanted to have their voices heard. So at the moment, the leaf pattern says 'referendum.'

A referendum is a good idea. Not only can people vote on an HST question, more questions could be added to a referendum ballot. 

Question could include: if the HST is gone, should the PST be brought back?  If not, where will the $6 billion dollars now left in the pockets of the people who earned it be cut out of government spending? Also, provincial taxpayers will have to pay back the $1.6 billion in bribe money from the federal government -- where will government cut spending? Or, should the government just add the $7.6 billion to the deficit? A bigger deficit or lower spending - a very valid question that citizens should have a say in.

A referendum also provides an excellent opportunity for citizens to vote on other issues. For example, who from B.C. will fill the next Senate seat. A sitting senator from B.C., Gerry St. Germain, retires in 2012. Here's a chance for people to have their say on who represents us in the Senate. 

It also provides an opportunity for citizens to vote on other issues. Why not put B.C.'s top issues to a referendum vote. How to decide which are B.C.'s top issues? One way is for groups to collect petition signatures and the three, say, that collect the most signatures get their issue put to the people. Possible issues include proportional representation, tax cuts, treaty settlements, or more subsidies for high-cost energy options like windpower.

We are at a crossroads in our democratic process. Without a doubt, people in B.C. are demanding more direct say in the decisions of government. The committee has the opportunity to start the process.