March 11, 2010

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Former B.C. Premier Bill Vander Zalm is taking his fight against the HST on the road, travelling through the province to find volunteers to collect signatures for an anti-HST petition.

It's a daunting task, collecting signatures from 10 per cent of registered voters in each of B.C.'s 85 electoral ridings, but that's what the group "Fight HST" is hoping to do. Vander Zalm says support is already strong in the Lower Mainland, the Okanagan, on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast, and that's why he's trying to connect with voters in other areas.

The former premier is looking for canvassers to collect signatures for the anti-HST petition. Vander Zalm says about 2,600 canvassers have signed on already, including 22 new ones last night in Merritt. "If we get enough volunteers, then every volunteer will only need to go out and get 50 or 100 signatures and they can probably do that in their own little neighbourhood. That will make it very easy."

Vander Zalm will be hitting the northern part of the province next, trying to sign up as many canvassers as possible before the sign up begins April 6th. He will have until July 5th to meet the sign-up requirement. His bill, called the HST Extinguishment Act will go to the legislature for consideration if the petition is a success.

Not one of the six other initiative petitions in the past has been successful, but Vander Zalm is confident early support for his anti-HST campaign will help him get enough signatures. He says it would be political suicide for the provincial government to ignore this. "It's a formal process, they can't ignore it. They can't do like they do with other petitions, put it through the shredder. They have to address it."