Recall Angela Pitt campaign goes door to door in Airdrie-East to collect signatures

Door-knocking started in the riding of Airdrie-East this past weekend to gather support for the potential recall of its elected representative at the Alberta legislature.

Twenty-six recall campaigns for Alberta MLAs are in the signature collection phase.

Most of the targeted MLAs are representatives of the governing United Conservative Party.

That includes the petition against Angela Pitt, MLA for Airdrie-East.

Canvassers have started going door to door to collect signatures.

They estimate they’re between a quarter and a third of the way to the number of required signatures for a recall vote.

One canvasser said she’s frustrated by the UCP’s use of the notwithstanding clause to end the teachers strike.

The provincial government ordered more than 50,000 teachers back to work through legislation using the notwithstanding clause in October, following a weeks-long teachers’ strike.

Bill 2 legislated terms of an agreement members of the Alberta Teachers’ Association widely rejected in September.

The canvasser also said she’s frustrated by the UCP’s handling of AISH.

The provincial government recently embedded an overhaul of AISH inside a wide-reaching omnibus bill.

Bill 12 would eventually see AISH clients moved into a new program.

The government said the shift will help more disabled Albertans find work, but critics said the changes will reduce benefits, erode rights and make life harder for people who already struggle to meet basic needs.

“When I saw this campaign was started in my riding, I just wanted to do something—I wanted to get involved,” said Kristina Hoyles with the Recall Angela Pitt campaign.

“I feel like this is one of the only ways I can have a voice and express my discontent.”

This recall campaign has until Feb. 3 to collect just under 15,000 signatures, and if it meets that threshold, a recall vote would be held.

Twenty-four of the 26 recall petitions are for UCP politicians, which is more than half of Premier Danielle Smith’s 47-member caucus.

Two are for Opposition New Democrats.

It’s the first time Alberta’s Recall Act has been used on provincial politicians.

It was brought in under former UCP premier Jason Kenney to empower citizens and hold politicians accountable between general elections.

With files by CTV’s Angela Amato and Kevin Green, and The Canadian Press