The anti-HST recall campaign to unseat Liberal MLA Marc Dalton is set to officially start in his Maple Ridge-Mission riding today (March 10).

Organizers will have 60 days to collect the requisite number of valid voter signatures on the petition issued by Elections B.C.

Under provincial recall legislation, a successful petition effort would cause the Liberal backbencher to lose his seat in the legislature and lead to a byelection.

Recall organizer Corisa Bell said the campaigners expect to receive the petition materials and start canvassing today.

Bell, a Maple Ridge resident, said organizers are confident they will succeed in gathering enough signatures by the May 9 deadline.

“We’re ready, we’re organized, we have 100 volunteers working on this,” she told the Straight by phone today. “There’s also a lot of people who are just so fed up with the Liberal party.”

The recall supporters argue Dalton should lose his MLA job because he backed the introduction of the 12-percent HST.

Dalton has said he voted in support of the tax because of its economic merits but added it’s understandable there has been a public uproar over the levy’s botched introduction.

He has also claimed the recall bid is about refighting the May 2009 provincial election in which he narrowly defeated his NDP opponent, an argument rejected by Bell.

“We’re just doing what we believe in and one thing I’m going to work hard on is letting people know that this has nothing to do the with NDP party,” Bell said. “I’m just so sick of hearing that.”

“They’re just trying to paint that picture because that’s all they got.”

As part of the recall campaign, a rally is planned at 224th Street and Dewdney Trunk Road on March 26 at 1 p.m

The recall organizers have also invited Dalton to a tentatively scheduled public debate on the HST on April 7.

You can follow Stephen Thomson on Twitter at twitter.com/thomsonstraight.