By JONATHAN JENKINS, QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU (Sun Media)
One by one, Bob Bailey, Ted Chudleigh and Peter Shurman were led out of the legislature by the sergeant-at-arms after accusing the government of lying about the pending harmonized sales tax.
"This premier lied to the people of Ontario," Chudleigh said, refusing to withdraw the remark unless the government agreed to hold further public hearings on the proposed provincial and federal sales tax merger.
Earlier, Bob Bailey was ejected for calling Premier Dalton McGuinty, who wasn't present, a "cowardly liar."
Shurman went one better later in question period. "You, sir, are a contemptible liar and you don't deserve to be in here," Shurman yelled at Finance Minister Dwight Duncan, before he, too, was escorted out, the Tory caucus applauding him as he departed.
Outside the chamber, Chudleigh said he was fed up with what he said was the Liberal government's dishonesty in going ahead with the HST, which will effectively slap an 8% tax increase on the many goods and services not now covered by the federal GST, including energy costs, Internet access and haircuts.
"They've just usurped the usefulness of this house and it's absolutely disgusting," Chudleigh said. "The premier has lied about it, he is continuing to lie about it and I'm just fed up with it."
The Tories have let Queen's Park bells ring this week in an effort to delay the bill enabling the HST, which was introduced Monday.
Yesterday's expulsions were part of that overall strategy to hold up the legislation for as long as possible.
It won't work, Duncan said.
"We will have the same hearings on this bill as we have on fall budget bills."
"What the government is going to do is continue to take our case to the people of Ontario," he said.
"Overall we do believe it is a tax cut but it's not an easy sell," he said.