The campaign to fight the HST led by former-premier Bill Vander Zalm has targeted three ridings in Vancouver Island in the first round of recalls, but central B.C. is also on the list.
The riding of Cariboo Chilcotin will be targeted in the third phase, with organizers there saying they expect to launch a recall effort by the end of January or early February.
The ridings were chosen following a contest to determine which ridings signed up the most canvassers.
Cariboo Chilcotin recall organizer Eric Freeston said he doesn't believe they will have a problem collecting the necessary 8,000 signatures despite the large riding area and winter weather. Cariboo Chilcotin, south of Prince George, includes the communities of 100 Mile House and Williams Lake.
Freeston said the animosity over the HST is high, and people feel betrayed by Cariboo Chilcotin Liberal MLA Donna Barnett, who, like other Liberals, has defended the HST.
Freeston said they managed to collect 9,000 signatures during a 60-day period - of those 6,524 were determined to be valid by Elections B.C. - during the successful initiative petition that resulted in the B.C. Liberals calling for a referendum on the HST in Sept. 2011.
The Cariboo Chilcotin effort has signed up 237 canvassers, more than during the petition. "We're pretty confident we can do it," said Freeston.
The anti-HST campaign has called on the Liberals to cancel the HST or move up the date of referendum.
The first recall campaign will target Oak Bay-Gordon Head, held by Minister of Science and Universities Ida Chong, beginning on Nov. 22.
Organizers have decided to utilize canvassers from two adjacent ridings to create a contingent of 600 canvasser to target Oak Bay-Gordon Head.
The canvassers have 60 days to gather 18,000 signatures needed to recall Chong.
The same canvassers will then turn their attention to the ridings of Comox Valley and Saanich North.
A similar tactic will be used for Kamloops North and Cariboo Chilcotin.
"That way, we can move quickly to gather the huge volume of signatures necessary in a short period of time," said Vander Zalm.
