Bill Tieleman and Bill Vander Zalm discuss strategy outside BC Supreme Court
On Monday Fight HST launched its Recall campaign to end the Harmonized Sales Tax by announcing which BC Liberal MLAs will be targeted for Recall in the weeks and months ahead.
The following is the Fight HST news release:
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FIGHT HST RECALLS TO START IN OAK BAY-GORDON HEAD ON NOVEMBER 22 WITH ARMY OF OVER 600 CANVASSERS
Saanich North and Comox Valley canvassers to converge on Oak Bay to help blitz riding to Recall BC Liberal MLA & Cabinet Minister Ida Chong
VANCOUVER – Fight HST will launch the first of three initial Recalls to begin in Oak Bay-Gordon Head on November 22 to remove BC Liberal MLA and Minister of Science and Universities Ida Chong, says Fight HST Leader and former BC Premier Bill Vander Zalm.
Vander Zalm says canvassers from neighbouring ridings Saanich North and the Islands and Comox Valley will team up with Oak Bay-Gordon Head organizers to create an army of over 600 canvassers to blitz the riding over a period of 4- 6 weeks to gather the 18,000 signatures needed to Recall the first of several BC Liberal MLAs.
“The plan is to hit the riding hard leading up to the holidays, take a short break at Christmas, and then finish the riding petition in the first and second week of January. Then we’ll send the same army of canvassers over to Comox Valley and Saanich North and repeat the process,” Vander Zalm explained.
Vander Zalm says a similar tactic will be used for Kamloops North and Cariboo Chilcotin where neighbouring canvassers will move in to assist in the Recalls in those ridings. “That way, we can move quickly to gather the huge volume of signatures necessary in a short period of time.”
Vander Zalm says if the HST is not removed by the time the first three Recalls have been completed, then two more Recalls will be added each month until the tax is cancelled.
“Its really up to the BC Liberal government. They can stop this whole thing by listening to the people who elected them by cancelling the HST.”
Vander Zalm says nearly 9,000 signatures were collected in Oak Bay during the Initiative petition using approximately 60 canvassers over 90 days without access to a voters list.
“With Recall, we will have nearly ten times that number to gather twice as many signatures in 60 days. Organizers have also developed a computer program to track signatures by polling station, street and house number so as not to overlap efforts. It will be a very efficient system.”
Fight HST Lead organizer, Chris Delaney, says there will be 5 phases to the Fight HST Recall strategy.
Delaney explained, “We will start in Oak Bay-Gordon Head in November. Then we’ll proceed to Kamloops North and Comox Valley in January. If the HST is still around after that, we’ll add Cariboo-Chilcotin and Saanich North in February. That will make five Recalls. If the government still isn’t listening, then we’ll add Maple Ridge and Vancouver Quilchena in March. If the HST is still around after those seven Recalls, then we’ll open the floodgates and add another eight or ten Recalls all at once beginning April 1 2011.”
Fight HST Strategist Bill Tieleman noted that unlike the successful citizens Initiative petition that gathered over 705,000 signatures this spring, under Recall rules Fight HST will have access to official Elections BC voters’ lists in each riding.
“Our efforts can be much more targeted and effective when we have those lists and can check off registered voters as they sign the petition,” Tieleman said.
Vander Zalm reiterated the Fight HST objective: “By moving incrementally, we are giving the government every opportunity to get rid of the tax and move on with the governance of BC. But if they continue to dig in and fight the voters as they have all along, then we’ll keep adding Recalls. This is a battle for democracy as much as it is to repeal a tax and there can only be one winner if democracy is to prevail in BC – the people.”
Following is the Fight HST Recall Strategy listing the targeted Constituencies and the order of Recalls:
FIGHT HST RECALL STRATEGY:
Phase 1 Recall:
Oak Bay Gordon Head Recall Organizer: Colin Nielsen
Begin November 22 (application)
Start Recall November 26
Recall complete January 29
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Phase 2 Recalls:
Kamloops North Recall Organizer: Chad Moats
Comox Valley Recall Organizer: Kathryn Askew
Begin Recalls January 3 – 7
Recall Complete March 7
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Phase 3 Recalls:
Cariboo Chilcotin Recall Organizer: Eric Freeston
Saanich North and The Islands
Recall Organizer: Ryan Windsor
Begin Recalls January 31
Recalls Complete March 30
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Phase 4 Recalls:
Maple Ridge Mission Recall Organizer: Corisa Nicole Bell
Vancouver Quilchena Recall Organizer: Colleen Garbe
Begin Recalls February 28
Recalls complete April 30
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Phase 5 Recalls:
- Boundary Similkameen- Parksville Qualicum- Kelowna Mission- West Van Sea to Sky- Vernon Monashee- Kamloops South- Chilliwack- Langley- Kootenay East- Penticton
Begin Recalls April 1
Recalls complete June 1
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Following are the results from Week Six of the HST Survivor Recall contest:
Recall Ridings
Sub total
2381
All Other Ridings
Volunteers at Large
962
RUNNING TOTALS (ALL)
3343
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