Mr. Speaker, I appreciate your diplomacy on this. Of course this is probably one of the most despicable episodes in Canadian Parliamentary history.
What we have right now is the sorry remnants of the Reform Party, which used to believe in popular democracy, which used to believe in consultation, which used to believe in actually consulting the public, allied with the sorry remnants of the Liberal Party that actually used to believe in due process. They are ramming through, with closure, a bill that is going to impose on the average family in British Columbia a $2,000 bill. These families are struggling economically. These families are already finding it very difficult to make ends meet. The sorry remnants of the Conservatives and the Liberals are allying together to impose closure on all of those Canadians.
In this corner of the House, the NDP is not standing for it. We are speaking out.
I want to make it very clear that if people want to exercise their opposition to the HST, then in coming elections or in coming byelections, they should be voting NDP. It is as clear as that.
Why is closure being imposed this week? We all saw, the whole country saw, the results of the byelection in New Westminster—Coquitlam. The Conservatives pumped unlimited resources into that riding. What was normally a barometer riding, the were hoping to take it. The residents of New Westminster—Coquitlam and Port Moody unequivocally rejected the HST and the Conservative Party on November 9.
If we take those results of New Westminster—Coquitlam and Port Moody and we put them right across British Columbia, a dozen Conservative MPs will not be back in the next Parliament. That is because British Columbians are speaking with one voice. They are saying “no” to the HST.
What do we see? The Conservatives are now, in one of the most sorry Parliamentary episodes that we have ever seen in our country, imposing closure, imposing a motion and imposing a bill that provides for four hours of so-called committee work, between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. on a weekday evening. It is absolutely despicable what they are doing to the Canadian public, what they are doing to British Columbians and Ontarians, which is almost half the country, if we take those two populations, by imposing closure and refusing the kind of public participation that we should have.
Only the New Democrats are standing in the House, saying that we do not agree. We are going to do everything we can to force the public consultations that the government should be performing.
There is no doubt that this plot was hatched by the Conservative government, that it forced the HST on British Columbians and Ontarians. It offered up the so-called bribe money to try to influence those governments. However, in the British Columbia election, which was held on May 12, not a single reference was made to the HST. In fact, the premier at that time said that he was not even considering bringing in the HST. British Columbians may have voted on that basis, but they were fundamentally lied to by B.C. government. There has been no public consultation. There has not even been a vote in the legislature.
For the Conservative government to impose closure on this bill, to impose closure on the HST, is nothing less than an attempt at damage control. The Conservatives have no legitimacy to bring this in. They have no legitimacy, aside from their sorry Liberal allies, to impose this on British Columbians. They are doing it because they are hoping that British Columbians are going to forget.
British Columbians are not going to forget. They understand the implications such as $500 for the average British Columbian, $2,000 for the average family of four. This is a tax shift for corporate CEOs who the Conservatives and Liberals seem to love. They just cannot give enough love to corporate CEOs. They will give them whatever they want, regardless of whether it makes sense fiscally or not. However, that massive and irresponsible tax shift has to be paid for and it will be paid by ordinary British Columbians and Ontarians. It is not only bad for the individuals involved, it is not only bad for British Columbia and Ontario families, it is bad for community businesses.
As these fees go up throughout the whole spectrum of necessary purchases that families make in this country, small businesses will find that their clients have less money to spend. That is why the restaurant industry, dry cleaners, hairdressers and barbers all oppose this incredibly misguided, irresponsible and outrageous tax shift. It does not just hit individuals. It hits community businesses as well.
We have another sop to foreign companies so the money can go to Houston and the Bahamas, but people and businesses on Main Street in small towns and cities across British Columbia and Ontario will be negatively impacted. Some businesses will go under and some families will lose their homes because, quite frankly, $2,000 breaks the backs of some families that are already suffering because of this recession.
This irresponsible move is something the NDP will oppose. We will oppose it here, we will oppose it as we go across the country and we will see the consequences of this irresponsible folly in the months to come.
Every NDP MP actually listens to his or her constituents. Unlike Conservatives and Liberals who seem to come in here with the idea of representing Ottawa to their home constituency, the NDP members listen to our home constituents. We have all been flooded with emails and letters that talk about this appallingly irresponsible tax shift.
I am going to read just a few of the many emails and letters. I could spend 12 hours reading them into the record, but I only have a few minutes.
Marie from Burnaby says, “I oppose the HST. I supply much of the clothing for my great grandchildren, as well as my grandchildren. I am 68 years old and will be unable to keep this up as the extra 7% will make a big difference”.
Patricia from New Westminster says, “I strongly oppose this tax on the basis that the B.C. Liberals have no mandate to create such a tax. It is being unfairly implemented in B.C. and will place too great a burden on consumers struggling to cope with the recession.
Doug from Burnaby wrote to the leader of the Liberal Party, who is not listening, as the leader of the government is not listening, and asked, “Does it not concern you that the overwhelming majority of citizens of B.C. have spoken loudly and clearly against the HST?”
Nadia is from Burnaby and works in the food service industry. She says, “I am very worried about the impact of the HST on our business. Consumers today don't have money to spare and higher prices will mean fewer customers”.
A new Canadian who has come here from overseas says, “I am strongly against the application of the HST. I am extremely disappointed with my decision of immigrating to Canada because this is a country discouraging positive endeavour. The HST will be just like frost on the snow of our future lives”.
Members can laugh about new Canadians opposing the HST, but we are their voice in the House. The government should start listening to ordinary British Columbia and Ontario families and new Canadian families. It should start listening for the first time. It should actually listen to the voices coming from across the country opposing the HST. Rather than invoking closure, what it should be doing is holding public hearings and allowing the real voices of Canadians to be heard.
The NDP has opposed this unfair tax shift not only nationally, but we opposed it in each of the provinces. In Saskatchewan we stopped it cold, rolled it back and abolished the HST. We knew it was bad for ordinary families. In Manitoba we stopped it cold and refused to implement it in Nova Scotia. The new NDP government in Nova Scotia has cut it out on heating fuel because it knows what this means for ordinary families in Nova Scotia.
Across the country we oppose the HST. It is unfair to ordinary families, and British Columbians and Ontarians deserve better from the government.
