The B.C. Liberals used a debate-ending closure motion Tuesday to ensure the harmonized sales tax is cut by two percentage points if British Columbians vote to keep it in next month's mail-in referendum.
The HST changes are one of several pieces of government business that will receive approval by Thursday afternoon, despite the protests of the Opposition New Democrats, whose calls for a two-week extension of the current legislative session were rejected.
The Liberal closure motion, which takes effect at 5 p.m. Thursday, ensures the government will pass more than a dozen pieces of legislation, including the Yale First Nation Treaty and a new law that establishes an independent police investigations office.
The closure motion also allows the Liberals to pass the B.C. budget tabled last February.
Liberal House Leader Rich Coleman said the government provided enough time to debate the HST, the budget and the other proposed legislation. He accused the NDP of deliberately stalling debate.
Coleman said he wasn't giving in to NDP demands for a two-week extension, saying the government decided it would not recall the legislature in the weeks leading up to and during the NDP leadership convention last month.
The NDP elected leader Adrian Dix on April 17 and the session started April 27.
"I didn't want to have to do this," said Coleman. "This is the decision that they (the NDP) made that they wanted to force this to happen, so I accommodated them."
New Democrat House Leader John Horgan said the Liberal closure motion meant he wasn't able to contribute to the HST debate in the legislature because it was passed less than 24 hours after it was introduced.
The motion ensures Liberal changes to the HST -- cutting the tax to 10 per cent by July 2014, offering $175 rebate cheques to children and low-income seniors and postponing big and small business tax cuts -- will take place if British Columbians vote to keep the tax in next month's mail-in referendum.
Horgan did not get to participate in the HST debate in the legislature, but neither did Premier Christy Clark, whose turn to speak was denied by an extended speech by Vancouver Island New Democrat Bill Routley.
Routley said the Liberals are trying to use taxpayers' money to convince British Columbians they should support an unfair tax. Routley mocked a government advertising campaign that uses images of stick people to discuss the HST.
"We see their stick men," said Routley. "You're there to stick it to ordinary people."
Clark said outside of the legislature she wasn't disappointed at not being able to participate in the HST debate in the legislature because she will have other opportunities, including during question periods.
"The House is one venue for a politician to talk, but there are a lot of other venues," she said.
The government has been in session at the legislature for 24 days so far this year.
