Six Nations residents urged to join HST protest

March 4, 2010 Brantford Expositor

Six Nations is once again encouraging residents to take an HST protest on the road.

Buses will carry people to join hundreds of other First Nations at an anti-HST rally on Parliament Hill on March 10.

Six Nations members are being urged to don traditional dress and bring flags and placards to the event.

The buses will load up at 5 a.m. on Wednesday morning at the Six Nations Community Hall and will return after 10 p.m.

The council is paying for as many buses as it can fill but, to order the appropriate number, all those who plan to attend are being asked to call the administration office at 519- 445-2201 by 4:30 p.m. Friday. The buses will be ordered early on Monday based on the response.

Six Nations went out to protest the harmonized sales tax in December, saying that point of sale provincial tax exemption for First Nations is a treaty right, protected under the Constitution.

Natives will be forced to pay the HST at stores and businesses and then mail in receipts to be reimbursed. That system is unlike the current PST exemption, which is done at the cash register.

At the December rally, several hundred natives stopped traffic on Bay and Yonge streets. Fewer than 20 Six Nations residents attended by bus but others met the protesters on site.

Council also is asking people to remember to dress warmly, bring chairs if needed and ensure they have funds for purchasing food.

The rally will begin at 1 p.m. by the fire pit on the front lawn of Parliament Hill and be followed by a march to the Department of Finance office, according to a news release.

Six Nations elected council continues to push for a point of sale exemption for natives, and overall tax immunity.

The HST is set to come into effect on July 1.