HST: How It Works

Two days ago, if anyone had asked me what I thought about the proposed HST in British Columbia, I would have told them that Gordo, the little weasel, had screwed over British Columbians once again. But that was before I actually took the time to learn everything I could about the new Harmonized Sales Tax.

With the recession and promises of no taxes by the BC Liberals, it isn’t a wonder many people in this province, low-income families and small businesses alike, were weary about the HST. Any mention of taxes, save for tax cuts, is bound to stir up outrage, in a recession, no less. But I have to admit the HST is not a bad idea.

Before you go calling me a Liberal patsy or any other such unflattering names, let me state for the record that I am a social democrat at heart and have voted for the NDP since I turned eighteen. But this isn’t about partisan politics. This is about what’s good for the province and the people of this province. Rest assured, I have many qualms about the BC Liberals but the HST may be the one thing we agree on.

Instead of shooting the new HST down, let’s look at the numbers. The current GST in BC is 5 percent while the PST is 7 percent, for a total of 12 percent. The PST is non-refundable, whereas the HST, also at 12 percent, will be. Goods that are currently exempt from the GST will be exempt from the HST. This means that groceries and rent costs will not be taxed with the new HST.
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Jean Charest is upset with the Supreme Court's ruling on Bill 104

Bilingualism in Canada is undeniably one of the most prevalent aspects of our international identity. All of our federal documents are printed in both English and French, despite the fact that only one of our provinces is officially bilingual (and no, it’s not Quebec – only New Brunswick is officially bilingual, meaning the provincial government prints documentation in both languages). Despite all this, language laws have often been a topic of contention within the country and particularly within Quebec. Almost one hundred years after the first language law passed in Quebec, we still find ourselves unable to reach middle ground when it comes to our languages – particularly in the education system. Up until recently, there was a loophole in the Quebecois language laws which allowed parents to send their children to English public school if they had previously attended an English private school. The majority of children in Quebec, however, are required to attend French public school. In 2002, Jean Charest’s government closed the loophole (Bill 104) thus preventing a much larger percentage of students from attending English public school in Quebec. Without the loophole, only students who passed a lengthy assessment of circumstance were granted permission. Yesterday, a disgruntled group of parents who opposed Bill 104 and had taken their displeasure up with the supreme court won a “partial victory” when the supreme court ruled Bill 104 as “unconstitutional and excessive”. Naturally, the Quebecois government is upset, claiming that by allowing a larger minority of children to enroll in the limited English school system in Quebec, the French language is not being preserved.
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On October 22 2009, the Supreme Court of Canada judged Quebec’s Bill 104 to be unconstitutional.  The controversial bill was enacted in 2002 by the Quebec ruling party of the day, the Parti Quebecois, and has since been subject of a slew of courts cases, the issue eventually reaching Quebec’s Court of Appeal in 2007, where it ruled against the bill.  Two years later, Justice Louis LeBel of the Supreme Court of Canada has taken a similar stance, calling the bill, “excessive” and giving Quebec a 1 year grace period to address and rectify the situation.

In the province already currently possessing the most restrictive language policies in the country, Bill 104 eliminated the last hope for Anglophones in Quebec to obtain English language education without being subjected to a long and trying process for determining ‘eligibility’ for this right. As a result, a group of 25 families took part in this case to argue for their children’s right to an education in the English language.  As such, the ruling in this case is only a partial victory.  Quebec’s debatable language laws still stand minus Bill 104. Anglophone Canadians and others who express an interest in English instruction are now back to the unenviable and astonishing position of attempting to enrol in English language schools through legal loopholes.  It also leaves the 25 families, and many others, besides in a minimum of a yearlong limbo awaiting the new legislation to take its place.
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Who in Canada is not familiar with the work of Craig Kielburger? Inspired at age 12 to fight child labour overseas, he and his brother Marc founded Free the Children to “empower children in North America to take action to improve the lives of fellow children overseas.”

But what happens when the child labour is happening right here at home?

In late 2003, the BC government changed child labour laws to allow children as young as 12 into the workplace. According to a new report, there has been a 10-fold increase in the number of child work-place injury claims accepted by WorkSafeBC, BC’s worker compensation body, since that change.
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Part 1: Pure Laine & King Danny: first impressions of an Albertan CFA in Newfoundland and Labrador.


Newfoundlanders call newcomers to the province Come From Aways (or CFAs). I’ve been a CFA now for about six months since arriving here for Grad school from Alberta. Before getting here I’d heard in the news of premier Danny Williams’ various attacks on the Harper government for this affront or that, and I’d seen enough CBC television to have a picture of St. John’s and its colourful row houses (painted for years with lead paint which is now wrecking havoc with local soil quality) perched on jagged rocks. It wasn’t much of an impression sure, but about as good of one as one might hope spending the past 25 years between Alberta, Quebec and abroad–all places where Newfoundland and Labrador is the last thing on anyone’s mind (with the exception of importing Newfoundlanders for work in the Alberta Oil Patch, but that awareness doesn’t stem from any sensitivity to Newfoundland and Labrador, it is merely a resource worth exploiting).
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Every democratic nation has its own version of the story: a competent, admired citizen decides to run for high public office, originally with much excitement about their candidacy, only to fail to live up to the billing. Canada has had a few. Names like Robert Stanfield, Joe Clark and John Turner come to mind. However, we now have the absolute perfect example. For some reason I don’t fully understand, expectations were immensely high for John Tory, and he did not come within a mile of meeting them.

While having immense success in the private sector (bringing about the Rogers monopoly of communications), nearly everything he touched in the public sphere withered and died. After spending much of the 1980’s working in the offices of Ontario Premier Bill Davis and Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, Tory had gained credence in the old Progressive Conservative Party. He was given the task of directing the 1993 reelection campaign for Prime Minister Kim Campbell. Now, granted, I doubt anyone could have saved the PC’s that year. But Tory ruined any slim chance they may have had. Tory was the one who approved the much-criticized ad making fun of Jean Chretien’s facial impairment. With his first crack at taking a lead in politics, John Tory achieved a world record: he was the campaign head for the largest electoral earthquake in democratic history. No incumbent government in any democratic nation has been crushed as much as the ’93 PCs. That was strike one. With that notorious mark on his record, Tory returned to the private sector for a decade, serving as CEO of Rogers and the Commissioner of the Canadian Football League.
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AM640 is reporting that Andrea Horwath has been named the new leader of Ontario’s New Democratic Party.

Horwath succeeds leadership from Howard Hampton after he announced would not seek re-election as party leader, a position he has held since 1996.

Horwath has been MPP for Hamilton East since 2004 and beat out fellow colleagues Peter Tabuns, Michael Prue, Gilles Bisson for the position.

The recent victory by Quebec separatist groups to cancel the “Battle on the Plains of Abraham” re-enactment serves to heighten continuing frustrations to the rest of Canadians watching the continuing boomerang of the threat of an independent Quebec.

It is a well-known fact that 55-60% of French-speaking Quebecers would like to see an independent Quebec to call their own country. Because of Canada’s leniency towards Quebec, they are more than half-way there. Anyone who goes to Quebec city and asks for directions to the provincial legislature will cause confusion. “Provincial legislature? Oh, you mean the National Assembly!” On another occasion, while visiting the huge and majestic St. Joseph’s Oratory, I noticed that the guestbook being signed by Quebecers was listing Quebec as their country. Quebec nationalism which runs through all the political parties in Quebec (even the supposed federalist ones) has been left unchecked by Canadian Federalism. The only thread that holds Canada together is the English and immigrant populations that for now seem to have staunchly been in favour of Federalism.
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Should Medicinal Marijuana Smokers Have the Freedom to Smoke Where They Choose?

A restaurant owner is facing a discrimination complaint after he asked his customer, a medicinal marijuana smoker, not to smoke outside his business. Ted Kindos, owner of Gator Ted’s Tap and Grill in Burlington, Ontario is involved in one of three medicinal marijuana-related cases working its way through the human rights complaints process in Ontario.

His case brings up the issue of where medicinal marijuana smokers are permitted to smoke. Currently, those who hold medicinal marijuana permits (2,800 Canadians) are not given any strict requirements for how or where they are able to smoke. Such details are not governed by federal regulations but permit holders are expected to use common sense, according to the federal government. Should our government be so lax in its regulations regarding where marijuana can be smoked? Seems to me like the government is asking begging for problems.
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I’m confused.

After years of experiencing the slow, muddling governments of Ontario and the swashbuckling antics of British Columbia politicians, I’m baffled by the laissez-faire provincial ministrations in Quebec. Mind you, I’ve only lived here since 2001. I’m part of the first wave of a growing English migration moving into the province – for futures sake.

Let me say straight off, as a writer, that moving to Montreal has been one of the better decisions of my life. This is a truly wonderful, welcoming and creative city – with a brightening future. This despite being about two generations behind the rest of Canada in some ways – thanks to previous political upheavals.

As a new arrival in sexy Montreal, you are handed a medical card, drug card, a cheap rent apartment and access to numerous free access socialized services like swimming pools, skating rinks and libraries. And you don’t even have to speak French all that much any more. Certainly less than 2001. Though it sure helps if you want a real job.
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