Posted on 12/04/2005 11:54:53 AM PST by GMMAC
Calgary Sun
Sun, December 4, 2005
Harper's cut wounds Grits
Goods and Services axe means Red Book promise will have Tory-book ending
By Licia Corbella
At long last, the Liberal Party's broken election promise to scrap the GST is gouging and stumping them.
Almost six years ago to the day, Paul Martin -- then an opposition MP and Liberal Party leadership hopeful, dissed the GST.
"The GST is a stupid, inept and incompetent tax," said Martin, as recorded in Hansard on Nov. 28, 1989.
That quote was dredged up by the Conservative Party and sent out in one of about a dozen e-mails delivered daily to media folk on their mailing list.
On Thursday, Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper announced that, if he becomes prime minister, he will immediately cut the GST from 7% to 6%. The tax will be lowered again to 5% within five years.
Harper's plan is both popular and, well, conservative.
It is a slow and gradual tax cut, but one all Canadians will see and feel, immediately.
What's more, it traps the Liberals on so many levels. It reminds Canadians the Liberals are -- to be blunt -- liars.
Abolishing the GST was one of the Liberal Party's main election platforms in 1993, when they were swept to power with a majority government, even though they won just 41% of the popular vote, but garnered 60% of the 301 seats in the House of Commons, thanks to our undemocratic, first-past-the-post electoral system.
What's most interesting about the whole GST debate is that, even in 1993, prior to gaining power, the Liberals knew they would break their verbal election promises.
Martin called the GST "regressive, unfair," adding it's a tax "I am committed to scrapping."
Jean Chretien flew around the country saying he would "kill it," "scrap it" and "abolish it," and rat-packer Sheila Copps (now a Sun Media columnist) vowed she would quit if the Liberals didn't eliminate the GST.
She ended up quitting only temporarily and winning her Hamilton seat back in a byelection.
Martin has admitted he and Chretien penned most of the Liberal Red Book of (mostly broken) Promises in 1993.
That means, he knew back then, he wouldn't do what he said he would do.
In fact, he didn't even do what he wrote he would do.
Instead, the Liberals did exactly nothing with the GST, except reap the benefits it brought in and balanced the books.
Remember the now-infamous CBC "town hall" meeting in 1996, when Chretien denied to a regular citizen that he had ever promised he would repeal the GST?
He vehemently argued he had only told voters he would replace the GST with another tax or harmonize it with the provinces.
But the CBC quickly aired TV clips showing a pre-election Chretien vowing to "kill," "get rid of" and "abolish" the tax.
Even after he was shown videotape of himself during the campaign, he still tried to deny it.
"Read the Red Book," he said.
It sounded a lot like a snake-oil salesman shrugging his shoulders and telling his disappointed customers they should have read the small print instead of believing what he said.
Both men knew they were misrepresenting their position to the public.
Now, Martin is saying the GST is a fabulous thing -- absolutely vital in running the country, since it rakes in $30 billion a year from Canadians -- the most heavily taxed people in the entire G7, excluding those lucky few, like the PM, who own shipping companies and avoid paying millions of dollars in taxes.
Martin's argument that it's financially foolish to cut the GST rings hollow coming from a man who made $24.5 billion in un-budgeted election promises in the 25 days preceding Tuesday's launch of the election.
My girlfriend, Kit, who recently turned 50, just bought the second new vehicle of her life. She says, Harper's plan, when fully implemented, would have saved her $620.
"That's a lot of money for me," she said, "and I'm better off than many Canadians."
In fact, cutting the GST to 5% will save Canadians $8.5 billion a year.
Looking more desperate by the moment, Martin said the Liberal plan to cut income taxes is better than cutting the GST.
Harper responded by saying there's much more to come from the Conservatives on tax cuts, so stay tuned.
Remember, Martin and his Finance Minister Ralph Goodale only agreed to lower Canadians' taxes once they knew they were headed to the polls. Just a few months ago, he said there would be no tax cuts.
What Canadians need to remember is, this is a party that constantly breaks its promises. That the GST and the North American Free Trade Agreement are still here is proof of that.
What's more, Paul Martin's doctor is the owner of the biggest private for-profit medical clinics in the country, which is further proof that he doesn't walk his talk.
Ironically, a couple of hours after the Conservative GST announcement was made, Martin visited a Cornwall, Ont., high school.
According to the Canadian Press, a student asked Martin if politicians should be held legally accountable for their campaign promises.
"Politicians should be held to their promises," Martin said.
"If that politician doesn't follow through, then that politician should be held to account in the next election."
Belinda? She's sent crying back to her daddy...
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
Gee, you best tell Fry, Emerson , Owen , Dosanjh , Bell, Chan , Martin , Anderson , McLellan, Goodale , Simard , Alcock ,Bagnell and Blondin-Andrew that they're not Liberals. Red Tories maybe?.
There were 14 Liberal elected in provinces west of Ontario in the 2004 election and the Libs swept the frozen northern tundra. Even that bastion of conservative virtue (Alberta) elected 2 (gasp) Liberals..
B.C. in the area I come from is SOLIDLY CONSERVATIVE. However I will admit that B.C. has been seriously diluted in her conservatism in the last number of years becuase of SO MUCH IMMIGRATION from the East to retire here. Unfortunately they bring their liberal attitued with them. I recall B.C. being Social Credit (very conservative and business orientated) for over 20 years. I am seriously bummed out with the influx of easterners.
Here's hoping for improved US-Canadian relations if a new regime comes into power.
So the Maritimes are a hopeless welfare basket case, eh? Hmmm, good to know. At least I know my place now. I'd go collect my cheque, but I gotta get back to work. ; )
LOL!
The BC interior and some of the suburban areas are solidly Conservative. Greater Vancouver, as well as Vancouver Island, is another story. The main reason that the Reform-Alliance did so well there was because of protest votes by traditional NDP voters.
Sadly, Libby Davies isn't going anywhere; she's in one of the most left-wing ridings in Canada.
It's the five-per-cent solution for what ails the Conservative campaign, a promise that's administratively simple, instantly comprehensible and now firmly nailed to the Conservative platform in voter minds. Vow to cut the damn GST rate by two percentage points and everybody gets it right away without the need for a technical briefing or reinterpretation by another message-muddling Tory MP.
GNNC - I think I explained how DRASTICALLY B.C. has changed in the last decade or so. Ever since the Social Credit Party fell it has gone more liberal/socialist especially in Vancouver where the bulk of the Asian immigrants are. In our area (Kelowna, B.C. and central Okanagan) it is solidly conservative. I HATE that Vancouver East especially is so socialist. They are huge NDP voting BLOCK. Libby Davies is disgusting. I was born and raised in this Province and have lived here my entire life. B.C. now has ever increasing Eastern Canadians coming here to retire. I agree, the Province has changed immensely with the exception of this area and other Conservative spots. During the NDP reign of error my husband and I almost lost our business and he's a Lawyer. It is horrible under the NDP. They literally destroyed the economy. Our corporate clients were heading for Alberta. They came back once the NDP were wiped out to 2 seats. BUT I'll still tell you that the MAJORITY of the Liberal governments came from Ontario and Quebec. We are in a good situation right now with Quebec throughly pissd off at the Liberals and hopefully Ontario is sick of being robbed by these thieves. Now that that the Liberals have been PROVEN to be thieves Do you think Ontario will say ENOUGH??? Our piddly number of seats won't hurt anything.
Ahhhhhh!!! I hope your wrong. We just got a new Mayor who is my Doctor's wife and she and her husband are our clients. I have talked to her OFTEN about putting a "lid" on development here. The traffic simply can't take it. They are ruining this valley building up up up the sides of the valley. Tearing out beautiful Orchards to make room for more "senior housing"!! The day this valley sends a Liberal to Ottawa is the day that I will be bugging to move to Alberta. We have family there already. It's the ONE TRULY Conservative Province and it's absolutely "bursting" with surplus dollars. Yes, they have the oil but B.C. has plenty of Natural Gas and many other natural resources. I guess we'll see. One thing I'm sure of however, IF Canada goes Liberal ONE more time, the country as a whole is FINISHED. If most Canadians had even bothered to do their homework, they would KNOW how much damage that Chretien/Martin have done to this country. It's enormous. They have sold us almost completely out to the UN. Gettin us all ready for the New World Order and One World Government.
Well, I am certainly not blaming it on Sharon. I had a huge problem with Walter's "if people want to move here I must provide space" statement, and I am happy she's taking over. She is a good gal.
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