14 Alberta government MLAs are now facing recall drives. Here’s how the process works

Fourteen Alberta legislature members with Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party caucus are facing recall petitions from constituents.

It’s the first time the province’s Recall Act has been used. It was brought in under former UCP premier Jason Kenney as a way to empower citizens and hold politicians accountable between general elections.

Under the legislation, a petitioner must submit a reason in 100 words or less about why they feel an MLA should be recalled. The person must live in the constituency and pay a $500 processing fee. There is no set criteria on what the reasons can be.

If the petition is approved by Elections Alberta, the applicant has 90 days to collect enough names from people in the constituency to trigger a vote. The number of signatures must be equal to 60 per cent of votes cast in the constituency in the 2023 election.

If enough signatures are collected and verified, a constituency-wide vote is held within four months to determine whether the MLA should be recalled. If more than half vote yes, the member is removed from the job and a byelection is held.

Here are the MLAs facing recalls, with portions of statements from the petitioners and responses from the politicians, posted by Elections Alberta:

Demetrios Nicolaides (Calgary-Bow)

Applicant Jennifer Yeremiy says Nicolaides has failed in his portfolio as education minister by prioritizing privatization at the expense of a public system struggling with inadequate funding and overcrowded classrooms. Nicolaides says recall petitions should be tied to a member’s core duties rather than “dissatisfaction with government policy” and that allowing the legislation to be used this way “undermines stable governance and the electoral process.”

Angela Pitt (Airdrie-East)

Applicant Derek Keenan says Pitt needs to be removed because she’s not communicating with and advocating for constituents while posting online “unfounded claims and divisive rhetoric.” Pitt says Keenan is exploiting his job as a school principal to launch a “politically motivated” attack.

Nolan Dyck (Grande Prairie)

Applicant Casey Klein says Dyck is representing his party rather than his constituents. “In meetings, he defends government decisions rather than listening,” she writes. Dyck says he has fought in the legislature for everything he promised to do. He says he met Klein in person in August and promptly responded to her emails, adding, “I am fully committed to being accessible to all 46,000 constituents.”

Myles McDougall (Calgary-Fish Creek)

Applicant Serenity Shalev says the advanced education minister has ignored concerns of his constituents by overseeing budget cuts to post-secondary schools. Shalev says in supporting use of the notwithstanding clause to end a recent teachers strike, McDougall “shows that he’s not interested in upholding a democratic and legal government.” McDougall calls the petition “political games” and says he’s focused on working with constituents “and ensuring local voices are heard.”

Ric McIver (Calgary-Hays)

Applicant Oana Uritescu says McIver has failed constituents in his former role as municipal affairs minister by supporting legislation that “reduces local democratic control” while doing little to help the constituency with infrastructure, education and other priorities. McIver says he has a track record of delivering for his riding and “this recall effort is not about my conduct; it’s a co-ordinated attempt to overturn democratic elections.”

Muhammad Yaseen (Calgary-North)

Applicant Siobhan Cooksley says Yaseen has been “unresponsive and disengaged” with constituents and has shown a disregard for public education and collective bargaining by voting to use the notwithstanding clause to end the teachers strike. Yaseen has not formally responded to Elections Alberta.

Rajan Sawhney (Calgary-North West)

Applicant Melissa Craig says Sawhney hasn’t responded to phone calls and emails and that her “actions in the legislature appear to prioritize party loyalty over the needs and interests of her constituents.” Sawhney has not formally responded to Elections Alberta.

RJ Sigurdson (Highwood)

Applicant Molly Metcalf says Sigurdson doesn’t represent and work with constituents, doesn’t keep posted office hours, and doesn’t respond to phone calls or letters. She says he used the notwithstanding clause to remove the rights of teachers in the recent strike. Sigurdson says his notwithstanding vote was difficult but necessary to get students back to class. “The recall petition’s claim that I do not engage with constituents is simply not accurate,” Sigurdson writes.

Dale Nally (Morinville-St. Albert)

Applicant Joshua Eberhart says Nally hasn’t been listening to constituents and using the notwithstanding clause to end the teachers strike “reflects an overreach by the UCP government, of which Dale Nally is a part.” Nally says the petition is without merit, because he believes he’s being targeted by a “left-wing activist group weaponizing recall legislation to target UCP MLAs and provoke a general election.”

Glenn van Dijken (Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock)

Applicant Aaron Conner accuses van Dijken of being unresponsive to constituent concerns and refusing to engage in meaningful dialogue. “His behaviour constitutes dereliction of duty,” Conner’s statement says. In his response, van Dijken says partisan activists have “weaponized recall petitions.” He says his focus remains on delivering results for his constituency.

Jackie Lovely (Camrose)

Applicant Theressa Hill says Lovely has prioritized party loyalty over the needs and voices of her constituents, saying she “has not stood up against provincial cuts to health care, libraries and rural community programs.” Lovely responded by saying she stands by every vote she’s cast in the legislature, “each reflecting the priorities and values of the families, farmers, students and business owners in our community.”

Nathan Neudorf (Lethbridge-East)

Applicant Ryan Tanner says recent voting activity by Neudorf demonstrates a disconnect between the MLA and his constituents. In his response, Neudorf says he has consistently worked to represent his riding with integrity. He says the recall legislation was designed for cases of serious misconduct, “not policy disagreements.”

Jason Stephan (Red Deer-South)

Applicant Nicole Green accuses Stephan of being unresponsive to both phone calls and emails. “He closed his office during the teachers’ strike and then voted yes to use the notwithstanding clause to force teachers back to work.” Stephan says his time as MLA has brought good things to Red Deer. “I have sought to boldly and respectfully speak the truth as I best understand it, even if some do not like it,” Stephan writes.

Searle Turton (Spruce Grove-Stony Plain)

Applicant Mona O’Neill says Turton should be recalled due to his lack of engagement with constituents and disregard for their needs. She describes his job performance as “unsatisfactory and apathetic.” Turton has not formally responded to Elections Alberta.

WATCH | Here’s a history of efforts to recall politicians in Alberta :

A history of recalling politicians in Alberta

Several campaigns are underway to recall Alberta MLAs, and experts say the UCP are in a difficult situation now that they’ve become targets of the same legislation they initially championed. But as CBC’s Jo Horwood reports, it’s not the first time recall legislation has been used, or become contentious, in our province.