The last four recall petitions in Alberta aimed at removing United Conservative members of the legislature have not succeeded.
Elections Alberta announced on Wednesday that petitioners failed to gather enough signatures to unseat Justice Minister Mickey Amery, along with members Justin Wright, Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk, and Ron Wiebe.
This means that all two dozen petitions launched against Premier Danielle Smith and her UCP caucus members since late last year have either fallen short or been withdrawn.
For the unsuccessful petition against Amery, fewer than 500 signatures were collected out of the more than 9,000 required – a number that reflects 60 percent of the votes cast in his Calgary-Cross riding during the 2023 general election.
Sead Tokalic, who initiated the campaign against Amery, shared last week that gathering support was tougher than he expected. He noticed many people weren’t very aware of political matters while canvassing.
“A lot of people don’t even know who their MLA is,” he said, adding that not reaching the signature goal shouldn’t be seen as a sign of support for Amery.
In a statement, chief UCP caucus whip Justin Wright remarked that these petitions didn’t represent what Albertans care about.
“These recall efforts, driven by a fringe group of NDP activists, were a complete and utter failure,” he stated.
Wright also highlighted how the results from the 2023 election provided UCP with a majority government.
“While others focused on political distractions, we remain focused on delivering results for hard-working Albertans by creating jobs, improving access to health care and ensuring quality education for our families.”
On Wednesday, another petition targeting Opposition NDP member Peggy Wright was found invalid because results weren’t submitted before the end of the 90-day canvassing period.
<p Earlier this month, an applicant withdrew a petition against New Democrat Amanda Chapman.
This leaves just two active petitions currently aimed at Progressive Tory Party Leader Peter Guthrie and NDP member Marie Renaud.
If any petition manages to succeed, it would lead to a constituency-wide vote determining whether that politician retains their seat. Should they lose, a byelection will follow.
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The first recall effort launched was against Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides. After three months spent collecting signatures, it concluded in January with around 6,500 names-40 percent of roughly 16,000 needed for validity.
No other petition has gathered more signatures or reached a higher percentage so far.
The majority of petitions directed at UCP members arose after Smith’s government utilized the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to put an end to a provincewide teachers strike in fall last year.
Ahead of this month’s announcements regarding unsuccessful attempts,
Smith acknowledged knowing her decision stirred “a lot of concern,” but she believes those failed petitions indicate that anxiety has eased. “I hope that these outcomes simply show people are feeling like we listened-we heard them-and we’re moving in the right direction even if they disagreed with how we went about it.”
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Smith acknowledged knowing her decision stirred “a lot of concern,” but she believes those failed petitions indicate that anxiety has eased. “I hope that these outcomes simply show people are feeling like we listened-we heard them-and we’re moving in the right direction even if they disagreed with how we went about it.”
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