‘Provincial day of recall’: Petition events organized across Alberta

MLA recall petition organizers are holding events across Alberta on Saturday in what’s being called the “Provincial Day of Recall.”

According to Elections Alberta, 26 recall petitions were launched starting in October, with most arising after the UCP government used the notwithstanding clause to end the teachers’ strike.

That includes Calgary-Peigan MLA Tanya Fir, whom petitioner Chelsea Barnowich says has failed for years to respond to constituents’ concerns and has supported “harmful policies,” including the notwithstanding clause on teachers.

Hillary Duncan, a canvasser petitioning to recall Fir, echoes her lack of response to Albertans and the use of the clause.

“The biggest thing is the MLA’s unavailability. Her office behind me is closed; it’s always closed. She doesn’t answer phone calls, she doesn’t answer emails, she’s not present in the community,” she told CityNews.

“I’ve emailed her several times about education issues and over the teacher strike. Personally, I think using the notwithstanding clause to end the strike was extremely heavy-handed.”

Fir responded to the petition when it launched, saying, “I work hard to serve all my constituents.” She says the petition is part of a “co-ordinated attempt to weaponize recall legislation.”

The UCP government has said previously that recalls are meant to address breaches of trust, serious misconduct, or a sustained failure to represent constituents, not political disagreements.

Drake Worth, organizer for the petition to recall Strathcona-Sherwood Park MLA Nate Glubish, says he’s curious what the province means by this.

“We’re upholding democracy by following the law that they wrote specifically,” he said.

“If they didn’t want the law to be used in a certain way, well, maybe take some more time to go over that law and discuss it in debate respectfully before making it law.”

Two of the recall petitions so far for UCP MLAs have fallen short of their required signature goal. Worth says he’s already collected thousands of signatures – and is expecting that number to keep growing.

“We went in knowing that it’s a very tough goal to hit, specifically with the legislation. But if we’re able to uplift the community, reignite the fire inside that we deserve to be represented and our voice matters, especially the most vulnerable of our population, then that is a success,” he said.

The remaining petitions have a few more weeks to gather 60 per cent of the votes cast in the constituency in the last provincial election.