B.C. HST Referendum to be Conducted in June by Mail-in Ballot
25 March 2011 | Referendum, Recall and Initiative
B.C. Attorney General Barry Penner announced today that the Initiative Vote on the HST scheduled for 24 September will instead be conducted on a tentative date of 24 June as a Referendum under the authority of the Referendum Act (British Columbia).
According to the Attorney General the question will be the referendum question will be exactly the same as that drafted by the Chief Electoral Officer for the Initiative Vote: "Are you in favour of extinguishing the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) and reinstating the PST (Provincial Sales Tax) in conjunction with the GST (Goods and Services Tax)? Yes/No."
The fate of the HST will be decided by a simple majority, as pursuant to section 4 of the Referendum Act the result will be binding on the government. Pursuant to section 5, if a majority of the validly cast ballots say "Yes", the government must take the necessary steps to implement the results as soon as practicable.
The Referendum will be conducted by a mail-in ballot, which is the same process used in the 2002 referendum on treaty negotiations.
The exact date of the Referendum, and details referendum financing, advertising and public funding for proponents and opponents will be announced in an order-in-council, which should happen in April or early May.