The man behind a successful local anti-HST petition drives says he will now start gearing up for a recall campaign targeting local MLAs Terry Lake and Kevin Krueger.

Chad Moats said Wednesday the prospect of attempting to recall all of B.C.’s Liberal MLAs is daunting, but he is up to the challenge here in Kamloops. The province-wide recall initiative is expected to get underway in mid-November — the 18-month mark of the Liberal government’s current mandate.

The massive recall campaign, announced by former Socred premier Bill Vander Zalm — follows news that the successful anti-HST petition will not be referred to a legislative committee by Elections B.C. until all outstanding legal challenges are concluded.

Elections B.C. gave Vander Zalm, the anti-HST campaign leader, the news late Wednesday. The decision to pursue a complete Liberal caucus recall was announced at a press conference shortly after.

Moats said the threshold for MLA recall is high. Forty per cent of voters in a constituency must sign recall forms within 60 days of the campaign getting underway in order to succeed. By comparison, only 10 per cent of voters needed to sign the anti-HST petition within 90 days.

Moats said nearly 30 per cent of voters signed the petitions in Kamloops-North Thompson. Nearly 25 per cent signed in Krueger’s constituency, he added.

Moats said Vander Zalm’s surprise provincial recall reflects frustration with what appears to be Liberal stall tactics.

“(The court challenges) could go on for years,” he said. “It’s a real mess. The Liberals need to act on the will of the people.”

Lake said he’s not afraid of a recall campaign, saying he believes people will decide based on more than one issue.

“I have no problem defending my record as a public official,” he said.

Lake said the success of the petition drive shows voters clearly had concerns about the HST.

“A lot of people were certainly concerned with the HST issue. It shows that people are able to voice their concerns. That’s not a bad thing.

“At the end of the day, in politics, you have to pay attention to what people are thinking and saying.”

He said he expects much of what upset people about the HST will diminish now that the tax is actually in effect. When the petition drives were underway, the tax was not yet in place.

“Now that the HST is in place, there is a lot more clarity for people about what it means to them,” he said

Krueger said he’s confident local voters will review both his and Lake’s record and will act accordingly.

“(Our) constituents know we put in a very long day for them every day,” he said. “I respect the process completely.”

Moats said he will be the applicant for recall in Lake’s constituency because he lives in it. The anti-HST campaign will need to find others to lead the recall efforts in other Interior ridings.

“It’s going to be harder,” he said. “This has thrown a spanner into the works.”

(Kamloops Daily News)