Calgarians rally to recall 3 UCP MLAs as ‘Alberta Resistance’ movement launches in 4 cities

A grassroots movement hopes to encourage Albertans to fill out petitions in order to recall at least 3 UCP MLAs.

A Calgary group held a rally at city hall Saturday with the hopes of recalling three United Conservative Party MLAs so that they can trigger an early provincial election.

Jenny Yeremiy, who is part of the Recall for Change movement in Calgary, said her group is seeking people to sign a petition to meet the threshold required to recall MLAs in Alberta.

“They just changed rules,” Yeremiy said, “but we understand that we need 60 per cent of the number of people that voted in the 2023 election to sign a petition to say I want to recall my MLA.”

According to Alberta Resistance, which organized Saturday rallies in Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat, the actual percentage of signatures required to recall an MLA in the province is 40 per cent.

“If approved, the applicant or applicants have 60 days to gather signatures from 40 per cent of eligible voters in that constituency,” it said. “If the petition is successful, a recall vote must occur. If the recall vote is successful, the official ceases to hold office and a by-election must be held.”

Yeremiy said a number of Albertans do not feel heard by the provincial government.

“The UCP is not looking after us,” she said. “They’re not listening to us, they’re not meeting with us. They’re making decisions that are not in the best interest of Albertans.

“They’re making decisions that are in the best interest of private interests not related to the people of Alberta,” she added. “It’s clear in every angle. We’re here talking about healthcare, education, energy, environment, people, marginalized communities.

“It doesn’t matter what way you look at it, they’re moving in the wrong direction, and we need to change that now.

“Later is too late.”

Closely lost ridings

As far as which MLAs the organization plans to target for recall, Yeremiy said, “we’re targeting the constituencies that were closely lost.”

“Calgary-Bow is an area that I’m in,” she said. “And we’re doing Calgary Northwest.”

In the 2023 provincial election, in Calgary-Bow Demetrios Nicolaides won by 385 votes over NDP candidate Druh Farrell.

In Calgary Northwest, UCP candidate Rajan Sawhney won by 149 votes over NDP candidate Michael Lisboa-Smith.

Yeremiy, running as an Alberta Party candidate in Calgary Northwest, finished third, receiving 777 votes.

She also said ridings represented by UCP cabinet ministers and Premier Danielle Smith might be among those targeted.

“Fort McMurray (represented by energy minister Brian Jean) is something that I would be curious to see if the residents are still happy with what they’re getting there,” she said. “Adriana LaGrange (who represents Red Deer North) with the health care scandal.

“This is something that we would like to get people (behind),” she added, “and then obviously our premier -- if we could get the people of Medicine Hat to stand up and say that this government is being led in the wrong way -- that would be huge.”

Saturday’s rally was more of a meet-and-greet and informational gathering, as the new organization has not formally created a petition yet, Yeremiy said.

“We have a 90 day window once we trigger that,” she said. “Right now, we’re just building interest and momentum and volunteership, but once we actually take this or get this form through the government, then we have 90 days to execute a recall.”

Mount Royal University political scientist Keith Brownsey said the process for recalling an MLA was fairly straightforward if a group can meet the verified signature threshold.

“They’ll have to consult with Elections Alberta, and if they get to 60 per cent, they will have to present this to Elections Alberta, and away we go,” Brownsey said.

“And then Elections Alberta will have to verify the signatures, do all that sort of thing, and then Elections Alberta will declare at that point under the legislation that the MLA has been recalled.”

Brownsey said that would trigger a by-election in the specific riding, but the way the numbers look at the moment, getting a trio of UCP MLAs recalled could trigger the fall of the provincial government as well.

“The arithmetic here is fairly simple,” he said. “(UCP MLA) Peter Guthrie is gone. Another MLA (Lesser Slave Lake MLA Scott Sinclair) has been tossed out (of caucus) or has left.. and Nathan Cooper’s gone, of course.

“(Losing) three more may bring them to the point where they do not have a majority and could be defeated in the legislature on a vote of confidence,” he said.

A petition was launched in 1937 to recall Premier Bill Aberhart in his riding of Okotoks-High River.

“The good voters of Okotoks did not believe that Aberhart was representing them properly, and began a recall,” Brownsey said. “And the legislature, at that point, rescinded, got rid of the recall legislation.”

Aberhart survived, switched ridings and remained premier until 1943.

CTV News has reached out to the Alberta premier’s office for comment.

For more information about Alberta Resistance, go here.

With files from CTV’s Tyler Barrow