TORONTO - Two Progressive Conservatives are refusing to leave the legislature after one called Premier Dalton McGuinty a liar for not holding provincewide public consultations on tax harmonization.
Members of the Conservative caucus surrounded Bill Murdoch in order to block any attempt to remove him and are drowning out debate in the legislature by pounding their desks and shouting.
Speaker Steve Peters has suspended Murdoch and Randy Hillier, who helped form the human shield around Murdoch, until the end of the legislative session.
That means if they leave the legislature, they won't be able to return until a new session starts with a speech from the throne.
The Tories have pulled similar acts of protest in the legislature over the last few weeks to show their opposition to the HST.
The move came after Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said the public would have an opportunity on Thursday to comment on the province's controversial plan to harmonize the eight per cent provincial sales tax with the five per cent federal GST.
He says it's something the Liberals have always done with budget-related legislation, and isn't a sop to the opposition parties who have been demanding public hearings on the HST plan for weeks.
Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak says the government is still limiting public comments to a handful of hours during a single day at the legislature.
Both Hudak and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath say the government should be holding open hearings across the province on the HST, not just in Toronto.
Like Ontario, British Columbia will also harmonize its PST with the GST on July 1, something Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador have already done.
