Northern BC Dipper

HST: A Wedge Issue For The Federal New Democrats?

November 13, 2009 D. Collier 1 comment

Ever since the New Democrats’ solid by-election win in New Westminster-Coquitlam on Monday, there have been increased suggestions from both the party and pundits that the HST issue could be used as a national wedge issue, especially since the Conservatives support the HST wholeheartedly and the Liberals generally support the HST but don’t want it implemented at this moment.

However, I question the possible effectiveness of the HST as a New Democrat national wedge issue.

In New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia, the HST has been a fait accompli since 1996, and it doesn’t seem that it is going to go away soon (even in New Democrat-run Nova Scotia, where the government has only made adjustments in regards to which products are charged the provincial portion of the tax.)

Newfoundland, PEI, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan do not have an HST.

Quebec has a provincial Value-Added Tax (as opposed to the other PSTs, which are Cascading Taxes) and has no interest in giving up control to Ottawa. Alberta doesn’t have a PST.

That eliminates the HST as an issue except for Ontario and British Columbia, which admittedly have a large chunk of Canada’s voters.

But even in Ontario, I have doubts that the HST as an issue that can swing votes to the federal New Democrats. Why? Simply have a look at the results of the “first ‘real’ election on the HST,” the St. Paul’s by-election in September. Despite the fact that the provincial Progressive Conservatives and New Democrats used the by-election as referendum against the HST and the HST-supporting provincial Liberals, the Liberals won St. Paul’s quite handily (47.6% to the PC’s 28.3% and the NDP’s 16.9%.) Furthermore, those results were very similar to the 2007 general election, placing further doubt on the HST as a vote mover.

Only in BC does the HST look like it could be an effective wedge issue for the New Democrats, and that’s probably a result as to how the BC Liberals introduced the tax, after an election in which that denied that the HST was under consideration (it was.) Even then, questions arise. After all, the New Westminster-Coquitlam by-election was fought between a strong New Democratic candidate and a lackluster Conservative candidate.

So, is the HST the wedge issue that will give the New Democrats more victories in the next election? I don’t think so. I think that the issue could have a role in getting some voters to have a closer look at us, but I don’t think the HST is the game changer that some are trying to say it is.

Categories: BC Liberals, British Columbia Politics, Federal, NDP, Non-BC Provincial Politics

HST Will Cost BC Boards Of Education Money. Why Does That Sound Familiar?

November 10, 2009 D. Collier Leave a comment

One would think that the BC Liberals would learn from the last time they implemented a new tax, the Carbon Tax, that Boards of Education would be affected. Alas, it looks like they didn’t.

According to a letter sent to the government by the British Columbia Association of School Business Officials, an organization that represents Secretary-Treasurers and their staff, the new HST will cost Boards of Education $24 million annually to cover items previously exempt from the PST.

What does this mean? Well, combined with other cutbacks to Boards of Education such as the cancellation of the $100 million Annual Facilities Grants, the result is going to be less money and resources going to funding classrooms.

Of course, there might be some hope for Boards of Education in regards to getting a HST rebate. After all,the BC Liberals did eventually organize a carbon tax rebate for Boards of Education. Of course, there are concerns that the costs of administration required in order to get the Carbon Tax rebate will further cut into money needed to obtain resources for classrooms. Either way, one would really think that the BC Liberals would have chosen to think about Boards of Education when deciding to implement an HST.

Categories: BC Liberals, British Columbia Politics

The By-Election News

November 9, 2009 D. Collier 1 comment

The Conservatives won Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, following the riding’s previous history. More surprising, however, is the Conservative win in Montmagny–L’Islet–Kamouraska–Rivière-du-Loup, formerly a relatively solid Bloc seat. At the very least, this could show that the Conservatives are a factor in rural Quebec.

The New Democrats retained New Westminster—Coquitlam, and got high seconds in Hochelaga and Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley. Of course, if the New Democrats want to gains seats, they are going to have to figure out out to convert these second place finishes to first place victories.

The Liberals had nothing particularly to lose, and certainly didn’t gain.

The Bloc lost Montmagny—L’Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup. That’s got to be a bit of a concern for them.

Of course, little of this matters in the long run unless confirmed by a general election.

Categories: Conservatives, Federal, Liberals, NDP

Doing Something Twice And Expecting Different Results Is Called Insanity

November 2, 2009 D. Collier 2 comments

What? Tell me how this makes sense.

The New Democrats should make a deal with an entity that totally, unilaterally, ripped up a previous semi-legal agreement with the New Democrats. Recently, too.

Uh, Michael Byers? The answer is no.

After all: