It is not all that often that we see a politician who has a high profile cabinet post in a majority government do the right thing and stand up for his constiuents. Such is the case in this regard and you can read some background on this here.
Blair Lekstrom is one of those rare politicians, and he deserves hearty congratulations for standing up for his constituents whom he feels have been lied to about the HST. As an organization, we are very critical of elected politicians who do not represent their constituents’ wishes and spend taxpayers’ money as if it was their own. In this case, Blair Lekstrom did a very principled thing in resigning, and has shown some true leadership and character, both of which say a great deal about him as a person.
He is right in arguing that there was no public consultation on the HST. He is also very right in saying that British Columbians will need to have an open conversation about how services are provided and the need for program cuts or tax increases to balance the budget. What people are increasingly getting tired of across this country are elitist politicians with no regard for the citizens that elected them. I believe Blair Lekstrom has taken a step in the right direction, and his peers would be wise to take note.
In regards to Premier Gordon Campbell, enjoy your time as Premier because I do believe that your days are numbered. British Columbians are not going to forget this when the next election rolls around. Things are going to get very interesting in British Columbia before this is over - there are now more anti-HST petition signatures than Liberal votes in many key ridings.
As usual, your comments are both welcome and appreciated.