Dozens of protestors rallied outside the B.C. legislature building Saturday to drum up support for the pending recall campaign against Liberal MLA Ida Chong over the controversial HST.
Chong, the minister of science and universities, is the first of 20 possible candidates to be targeted in a wide-reaching recall campaign led by former premier Bill Vander Zalm and his Fight HST group.
The recall application will be presented to B.C.'s chief electoral officer on Monday. Once it's approved, canvassers will have 60 days to collect signatures from a minimum of 40 per cent of voters in Chong's Oak Bay-Gordon Head riding.
Recall coordinator Colin Nielson said he has more than 200 volunteers set to canvass and collect the roughly 15,366 signatures required.
Nielson said the public is disappointed in Chong because she ran on a platform of reducing taxes for families in the 2009 provincial election, but did not oppose the introduction of the HST.
"She's a very nice lady, I've met her, but it's time for someone who'll take a stand like [ousted former Liberal MLA Bill Bennett] did the other day," Nielson said.
But Chong told CTV News she fears campaigners care more about damaging the BC Liberal party than defeating the unpopular HST.
"It is unfortunate that recalls – which I think is an important process for British Columbians to use – is being used as a political agenda for the NDP," she said.
The next politicians facing recall campaigns are Terry Lake and Don McRae. Voters in their Kamloops-North Thompson and Comox Valley voters will be canvassed in January.
After the initial three petitions are launched, a new recall campaign will begin every month in order of how many canvassers have signed up.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Peter Grainger
