HST Protest & Sit in.

This from Owen Sound Radio News
“It has been a long night for Bruce Grey Owen Sound MPP Bill Murdoch as the Opposition continues to protest the HST. Murdoch and fellow Progressive Conservative Randy Hillier refused to leave the Ontario legislature yesterday (MON) and spent the night in the Chambers.
Murdoch was the first to be ordered out for calling the Premier a liar over the 13 per cent harmonized sales tax. But Murdoch wouldn't budge -- and other Tories came to his side to block any attempt to remove him.

(As a result of this) Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said the public would be able to comment this Thursday, but in Toronto -- and Murdoch says that is not good enough. “

Whilst some have decried the disruption of the legislature caused by the opposition Conservatives over this I want to publicly thank Bill for his effort. When a government becomes so arrogant as to ram through legislation without any effort to compromise, or in this case until now refuse to hold ANY public hearings, then the opposition is perhaps to be forgiven for “less than parliamentary” behavior. It matters not whether the government is a liberal one or a conservative one, a provincial one or a federal one, when they reach the point where they will not even ATTEMPT compromise and completely ignore requests for input from the general public on such an important issue as this, then they represent “the people” not rule them!

Well done Bill, you have listened to your constituents and acted in their best interests as you always do. “Callers to Bayshore Broadcasting (open line) overwhelmingly supported what Murdoch was doing at the Legislature to try and force the Provincial Government to hold public hearings on the HST outside of Toronto.”
I may not support your party but as one of the few politicians who truly tells it like it is and actually represents the people you serve I fully support you and your actions.

Note Bill “came to an agreement with the speaker” and left the chamber to “go home for a shower” after 2 days of protest. He is now not allowed back in the chamber until the next throne speech whenever that may occur. Given the amount of notice that the Provincial Liberals have been taking of the opposition and the general public of late ALL our MPs could be banned with little or no impact upon the daily regime.

Sorta reminds me of the situation in Ottawa. Democracy, what’s that?