by Bill Vander Zalm

Our campaign to defeat the HST has exploded across the province. It has become a massive people’s movement that is reaching beyond the Initiative Petition to repeal the Hated Sales Tax, into a popular uprising to reclaim democracy.

Over capacity crowds filled every town hall room we attended. Kamloops: 240 + people. Vernon, 300+. Kelowna 250+ (even with the Rockets’ playoff game on the same night). Penticton: 510+ on a Sunday morning. Osoyoos 250 people! Trail: 160. Cranbrook: 300+. In some places, like Revelstoke, we had virtually no advertising, not even an organizer in place for the meetings – and yet people came in droves to fill the hall.

In Salmon Arm, the room was set up for 200. After nearly 300 people packed the halls and walls of the venue there, the fire marshal came in and closed the doors. But rather than go home, people stood outside in the doorways to hear the presentation.

We finished our Okangan/Kootenay Tour with a final stop on the way home in Chilliwack, where 300+ people showed up, forcing the organisers to add three more rows of seats, and still it was standing room only.

Everywhere we go, people tell us they are outraged that when so many people reject a government policy—a government policy they have no mandate for—not one of the MLAs on the government side will stand up for their constituents. Not one MLA will represent the people who pay their salaries and pensions. Instead, they arrogantly plow ahead with a cruel, hurtful tax that nobody wants, and which will do massive harm to the BC economy.

They won’t listen, so we will force them to. The Citizen Initiative petition is the best tool we have ever had to make the government abide by the wishes of the people they are supposed to serve.
Starting on April 6th, the people of BC are going to teach their government the biggest lesson in the history of Canadian democracy.

It’s about time – isn’t it?