I have just created a new Facebook protest group - Defeat the HST in Parliament - and urge you to join right away, as there will likely be a vote by Members of Parliament this coming week on the legislation to impose the Harmonized Sales Tax.

Here is some of the information I have just published on Facebook about what’s happening in Ottawa - and how we can try to kill the HST in both Ontario and BC permanently.

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Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government will introduce legislation to impose the Harmonized Sales Tax in Ontario and British Columbia this week - meaning a vote could come as early as Wednesday or Thursday.

Harper says that it is NOT a confidence vote and if the HST legislation is defeated it will NOT be brought back at a later date.

So this is a fantastic opportunity to defeat the HST in Parliament and save Ontario and British Columbia consumers from paying far more for goods and services without seeing any of those taxes pay for health care, education or social programs.

The revenue raised by the HST will instead go to tax credits for big business.

But there isn’t a lot of time - please act now by joining this Facebook protest group and passing on the word to friends, family, co-workers - anyone who might join.

The more people who sign up the more pressure there will be on Members of Parliament from all parties to vote against the HST and kill it once and for all.

For more information on the HST in BC please see the NO BC HST Facebook protest group - and Fight HST, the group formed by ex-BC Premier Bill Vander Zalm that is leading the opposition to the HST.

Party Positions in Parliament on the HST

Conservative Party - Support the HST and will bring in legislation this week to impose it as of July 1, 2010. All Conservative MPs are expected to support the HST.

Liberal Party - Have made negative statements about the HST, calling it “Harper’s Sales Tax” - but have not said what they will do when it comes to a vote in Ottawa.

The Globe and Mail’s Bill Curry reported Friday that: “Federal Liberals acknowledge they’ve been placed in a bind over an HST vote forcing them to choose between political opportunity or avoiding a bitter feud with provincial Liberal cousins.”

Liberal MPs said yesterday they will meet behind closed doors before taking a position on next week’s Conservative government motion.”I’ll decide in my own sweet time,” Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff told reporters in St. John’s. “I haven’t seen the legislation. I’ve got to consult with the caucus.”

Bloc Quebecois - Appears likely they will support the HST but only if they can get a retroactive cheque from the federal Conservative government because Quebec adopted the HST in the 1990s without receiving any federal incentive money.

Ontario will get a one-time only $4.6 billon payment and BC a $1.6 billion payment for “implementation costs” of the HST.

New Democratic Party - NDP leader Jack Layton opposes the HST and has said his MPs will all vote to defeat it. New NDP MP Fin Donnelly - New Westminster-Coquitlam - campaigned heavily against the HST in his Nov. 9 by-election win.

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