HST-The Death of the Liberal Party

The recent passing by Federal Parliament of the harmonization of the sales tax in Ontario and BC might be the climax in the end of the Liberal Party as we once knew it. With leadership problems over the last two years, the ex-leaders wife questioning the party's future and the Martin Cauchon fiasco, the question must now be asked what is the Liberal Party's future in Canadian politics? I know it's the Liberal red machine, but who would have guessed twenty or even ten years ago the party would go into debt or that it would fall to 26 percent? The HST vote next week will be the proverbial fork in the road and which way they vote might impact their legitimacy in future years.

Lets first consider what type of pickle their provincial cousins in Ontario and BC have put Iggy and the gang in. Although the HST has always been Liberal policy the fundamental difference between the Federal and Provincial Liberals is massive. Both Keith Martin of BC and Bob Rae of Ontario missed all three votes in Ottawa. They are not the only ones opposed, Hedi Frey Ujjal Dosanj and other held their nose as they voted for the new tax. In Nova Scotia the Liberal and Conservatives were wiped off the face of the political map by the NDP in what political commentators called a shocking result. Well if they had noticed both the Liberals and the Conservatives supported the HST which not only eliminated peoples income it destroyed the economy.

During the last Federal election Craig Oliver a senior reporter at CTV and a well know Liberal sympathizer wrote an article throwing out there the possibility that the Liberal Party of Canada will be overtaken by the NDP as the left wing party of Canada and that the same party will disapear into oblivion as was the case of the English Liberal Party in the 1920's when it was taken over by the Labour Party. The question was a good one, is the Liberal Party of Canada alienating itself enough from the people that it has the possibility of being overtaken by the NDP? That question cannot be answered by myself, only time can do that, but as we've seen provincially in Nova Scotia the possibility exists.

One thing I do know is that the HST is bad, the income tax cuts are good but to at the same time raise the price of virtually everything else negates all that would be accomplished by an income tax cut. The split within the Federal Liberal Party coupled with the real and honest anger of the people of Ontario and British Columbia doesn't bode well for the Party deemed undefeatable just a few years ago. The base of the Liberals was and has always been the forty hours a week worker not the corporate boss that sits in his or her ivory tower, normal hard working people will undoubably be pissed in Ontario on July 1st when they ring in Canada Day with a brand new tax brought to them by the Liberal Party of Canada and Ontario.

For me the Liberal Party has been on the decline since the late great Pierre Elliot Trudeau left the political scene. Jean Chretien, Paul Martin, Stephane Dion and now Michael Ignatieff have never put Canada first and finally I believe the Party is about to pay a price at the polls that will make Mr Dion's defeat look like a walk in the park.

Now don't get me wrong the Liberal Party is known as the machine for a reason and they can always make a comeback and return to their former glory, but I do not see the love for the Liberal brand as I used to even five years ago. The HST will be the Liberal Party's epitaph and it will read the HST killed the Liberal Party in 2010.