Her Majesty’s Government for British Columbia has been governing this province for nearly a decade, and Canadian history has shown that most governments (whether good or bad) start to experience much more of an incumbent disadvantage with public support when they reach this point in age. The number of controversies recently certainly hasn’t helped this Government’s case either, though despite the controversy, little is likely to change in terms of the implementation of the harmonised sales tax.
Even if the petition passes, the Government has two choices; it could either hold a referendum on the issue of the blended tax, or introduce a bill to repeal the blended tax. If the referendum passes, then the Government would have to introduce a bill to repeal the blended tax. The wording here is absolutely key: The Government would only need to introduce the bill, whether or not that bill passes is entirely up to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (and as Government members have an overwhelming majority, the bill would almost certainly be defeated). Any outcome, nonetheless, would be a colossal embarassment for the Government, and would most likely set ablaze any hopes for another term in government.
