Friday, April 23, 2010

Local Debate on HST: Bob Simpson says 'Yes', Donna Barnett says 'No'

This past Tuesday, Cariboo-North MLA Bob Simpson issued an open challenge to Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett to hold a series of community meetings on the HST in Quesnel, Williams Lake and 100 Mile House

Here is Bob Simpson's open letter to Donna Barnett (as published in the Williams Lake Tribune):

Further to my open invitation in the Legislature and my staff’s call to your Constituency Office, I once again invite you to participate with me in a public debate and dialogue on the implications of the HST for the people of the Cariboo. I would like us to hold three public forums in the communities of 100 Mile House, Williams Lake, and Quesnel where we can both share our views, answer questions and hear directly from voters.

My calendar is open to times and dates of your choosing.

You have stated publicly your support for the HST and the benefits you believe it will provide the Cariboo-Chilcotin, despite the fact that more than 4,000 constituents in our ridings recently signed a petition opposing the HST that was presented in the Legislature by the Opposition. During the election you explicitly committed to the people of the Cariboo Chilcotin that you would take their interest to Victoria, not bring Victoria’s voice back to them.

Yet, that is precisely what you are doing with HST: merely reciting the unsubstantiated and false claims of the Liberal government about the benefits of the HST.

In the spirit of democracy, I feel it’s essential to give the people of the Cariboo Chilcotin the opportunity to hear us engage in an open debate and allow them to challenge both of us directly on the proposed transfer of $1.9 billion in taxes away from corporations onto the backs of citizens, many of whom are already struggling to make ends meet.

I hope you will honour your election promise and let us hear directly from constituents in The Cariboo Chilcotin what they think of the HST and make sure it is their voices that are heard in Victoria.

Donna Barnett, MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin, in a letter to the editor and as published on the Welcome to Williams Lake website:

(http://www.welcometowilliamslake.ca/index.php/politics/140-general/1309-people-before-politics.html)

politely turned down his request for community meetings' on the HST in Quesnel, Williams Lake & 100 Mile House

Here's her response to MLA Simpson's letter:

From years as a Mayor and the past year as an MLA, my priority has always been to put people before politics. I enjoy working for and helping my constituents, but I could definitely do without all the political antics and games that creep into my job. A case in point is a recent letter by NDP MLA Bob Simpson challenging me to debate him on the Harmonized Sales Tax.

Mr. Simpson and I face each other day after day in the BC Legislature. He provides his daily objections to our government’s sound policies and I do my part in defending them. The Harmonized Sales Tax is good, responsible policy and I stand 100% in support of our effort to enhance our economic competitiveness and to stimulate job growth. But, it appears that isn’t enough to satisfy Mr. Simpson’s ongoing obsession with refighting the last election and ensuring I am defeated in the next election.

I will take this opportunity to state yet once again that during the past provincial election, I had never even heard the term “HST”. Since taking office and being tasked with enhancing our economy, we have been exploring further options and strategies to help our province. In that vein, I have learned all the facts on the HST and, quite frankly, if the election were still going on right now, the HST would be an excellent issue to promote. My campaign was about keeping B.C. strong and the HST is an invaluable tool in that regard.

What Mr. Simpson continually fails to understand is that we are not voting to adopt the HST. That has already been done by the federal government. Rather, we are currently moving to repeal the 7% PST legislation….that is what the debate is all about. I suppose if Mr. Simpson paid more attention to the extensive Legislature debates on the matter, he might realize the glaring error in his politically-motivated, highly charged challenge to me.

Mr. Simpson clearly does not understand that this is good public policy that will encourage economic growth in our local resource-based industries. For example, when a logging truck owner operator buys a new piece of equipment, he currently pays GST & PST (5%+ 7% =12%), but can only recover the GST portion. When the HST takes effect, however, that truck owner will now be able to get back the full HST amount (12%).

In terms of wasting time repeating my debates with Mr. Simpson yet again, it shocks me that he doesn’t seem to have the same busy schedule that takes up every moment of my time at home in the constituency. As our duties require us to be in Victoria for most of the time, my schedule in the constituency is very important to me and I prioritize those precious hours by meeting directly with constituents and working to solve their problems. Many involve case files that were neglected in previous years by my predecessor and, as a result, require a lot of work. My weekends in the constituency are for my constituents, not for partaking in silly political games with Bob Simpson and the NDP. They may have the time for that, but I and my constituents do not.

It will be now interesting to see what Bob Simpson and the NDP have to say after MLA Barnett's decision not to participate in community meetings' on the HST

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