Half the recall petitions against Alberta governing caucus fail, more fizzle

Elections Alberta says four more recall petitions against members of Premier Danielle Smith’s caucus have failed.

It means half of the two dozen petitions launched against United Conservative Party legislature members late last year have come up short.

So far, none have been successful.

One of the unsuccessful campaigns, confirmed Friday by Elections Alberta, was against Agriculture Minister R.J. Sigurdson.

That campaign collected roughly nine per cent of the nearly 16,000 signatures it needed to force a constituency-wide vote, the agency said in a statement Friday.

Sigurdson, in a public letter posted online earlier this week, said the low turnout goes to show he has support in his southern Alberta riding.

“This result is not only clear but conclusive: the petition did not reflect the views of the vast majority of Highwood residents and demonstrated a lack of genuine public support,” Sigurdson said.

He also said he thought the recall process was misused and claimed it was organized as an attempt to publicly discredit him rather than to seek accountability from a politician neglecting responsibilities.

“Weaponizing recall in this way is a misuse of democratic tools, wastes taxpayer resources, and undermines trust in the institutions that serve all Albertans,” he said.

Elections Alberta said Friday the other failed campaigns were against Muhammad Yaseen, the associate minister of multiculturalism, Speaker Ric McIver and backbencher Jackie Lovely.

A preliminary count showed the petition against Yaseen collected just under seven per cent of signatures needed, while McIver’s petition had about 13 per cent.

The petition against Lovely was withdrawn last week, days before the three-month collection period was set to end.

The four petitions were among 10 due this week.

Four of the other petitioners told The Canadian Press on Monday their efforts were unsuccessful.

The results of the remaining two petitions due this week are not yet public. The petitioners targeting Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf and UCP backbencher Glenn Van Dijken didn’t respond to requests for comment.

A spokesperson for Elections Alberta said the agency can’t yet provide an update on those two campaigns, as preliminary counts and contacting all involved takes time.

There are still 12 active petitions against UCP caucus members, including the premier. There are also two petitions targeting members of the Opposition NDP.

Many of those who started the petitions against the UCP have said they were motivated by the government’s use of the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to force striking teachers back to work last fall. Others have said their representatives were hard to reach or dismissive of local concerns.

All outstanding petitions come due next month.

Petitioners have three months to collect signatures equal to 60 per cent of the total number of votes cast in their constituency in the 2023 provincial election.

If successful, a constituency-wide vote would be held on whether the politician keeps their seat. If the member loses, a byelection would be held.

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