B.C. premier resigns over HST

Gordon Campbell’s third term as provincial leader went up in flames over his decision to implement the controversial tax.

Campbell may have been able to get away with adopting the HST if he hadn’t campaigned on the idea that he had no plans to do so. A month after he was elected in May 2009 he unveiled the tax, sparking voter outcry and a massive grassroots campaign to repeal the HST and recall the province’s Liberal MLAs. Campbell did everything he could to escape the noose that was tightening around him, offering a referendum on the HST and recently announcing substantial tax cuts, but to no avail. His popularity plummeted into the single digits, and today he announced he is stepping down in the midst of his third successive term as premier. He called on the Liberals to hold a leadership conference as early as possible to choose his succesor.