Any citizen in a riding can ask to begin collecting signatures to try to get their legislature member recalled under Alberta’s Recall Act.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
Elections Alberta says it has approved recall petitions against five more members of Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party caucus, bringing the total to 14.
The new number means that almost a third of the 47 United Conservative members in the legislature are now engaged in the recall process, potentially threatening the balance of power in the house.
The latest ones include cabinet ministers Searle Turton and Nathan Neudorf.
Also facing petitions are backbenchers Jason Stephan, Jackie Lovely and Glenn van Dijken.
Under Alberta’s Recall Act, any citizen in a riding can ask to begin collecting signatures to try to get their legislature member recalled if they feel the member is failing at their duties.
All five of the new petitioners, in statements to Elections Alberta, say they feel their legislature members have failed to represent their ridings and, in some cases, have not been reachable.
Petitioner Nicole Green wrote, “Jason Stephan should be recalled for his failure to prioritize the interests of Red Deer-South.
“He supports a separatist agenda, has disdain for French speakers, has failed to take his duties seriously by travelling against government advice and delaying his own swearing-in.
“His focus on divisive, party-driven issues instead of local priorities like affordability and health care also shows he is an ineffective MLA.”
Stephan, in a statement to Elections Alberta, fired back.
“This petition for recall will fail,” he wrote, citing a number of accomplishments as legislature member, including money for post-secondary schools and health care.
“Moreover, I have sought to, boldly and respectfully, speak the truth as I best understand it, even if some do not like it, seeking freedom and prosperity for Albertans.”
The overall theme of the first nine petitions was that the legislature members were hard to reach and ignored local concerns. Some of those applicants also chastised their members for recently voting to use the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to end a recent provincewide teachers strike.
The 14 members being targeted represent constituencies across the province, ranging from Grande Prairie in the north to Lethbridge in the south. Five represent the Calgary area.
Smith and her UCP caucus have argued that petitioners aren’t using the recall system appropriately, saying it should only be used for accusations of serious wrongdoing, not just disagreements over government policy.
Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally has said he believes the recall petitioner challenging him is a proxy for a left-wing activist group, something the petitioner denies.
Other high-profile targets facing a recall challenge are Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides and Speaker Ric McIver.
The recall petition process allows those behind each campaign to collect signatures in their constituency over three months and, if they collect enough, a vote is held on whether the MLA keeps their seat.
It’s a long, multi-stage process, but if all 14 MLAs are defeated in constituency votes, it would give the Opposition NDP more seats in the house.
The NDP currently has 38 seats in the 87-seat house, and two former United Conservatives sit as Independents after being removed from the governing caucus earlier this year.
The premier has said she’s talking to caucus members and other officials about making changes to the Recall Act.
Smith told reporters last week she’s concerned the grassroots spirit of the law is being abused, perhaps through online fundraising and even foreign interference. The act was brought in under former UCP premier Jason Kenney.