3rd recall petition against Alberta politicians comes up short, another withdrawn

A view of the Alberta legislature in Edmonton is shown on Friday, March 28, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

A third recall petition against a member of Alberta’s legislature has failed, while another has been withdrawn.

Casey Klein says her campaign against United Conservative Party backbencher Nolan Dyck gathered just over 1,000 signatures, roughly 10 per cent of what was needed by Thursday’s deadline.

Klein, a resident of Grande Prairie, about 460 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, said that while her petition came up short, the effort wasn’t a total waste.

“Grande Prairie, it’s a conservative stronghold and we made a splash,” she said Wednesday.

“We didn’t meet that threshold. But if success includes community engagement and people taking action, standing up (and) their voices being heard, then I’m happy.”

The petition was one of 24 recall campaigns launched late last year against members of Premier Danielle Smith’s UCP caucus, including the premier. Two other petitions were launched against members of the Opposition NDP.

In addition to the petition against Dyck, campaigns against the education minister and another UCP backbencher failed to get needed signatures before their deadlines.

Klein said Dyck shouldn’t take the result as a vote of confidence. She said some in the constituency who signed the petition told her they voted for him in the 2023 provincial election but have since “felt swindled.”

“They wanted the message out there that even though they voted for (the UCP), this is not what they voted for,” she said.

“I am confident that those are votes lost going into the next election, whether it’s Nolan Dyck or another UCP (candidate).”

Dyck, in a statement Wednesday, thanked constituents for their continued support and trust.

“Over the past 90 days, I’ve had countless conversations with residents across my community. I’m grateful for their encouragement, their candid feedback and for standing with me,” he said.

“My focus remains on the work I was elected to do: advancing conservative principles that strengthen Grande Prairie and Alberta by growing our economy, improving access to health care, and ensuring quality education for our families.”

A fourth petition against a member of Smith’s caucus has also come to an end, as the person campaigning against Family Services Minister Searle Turton has withdrawn the petition.

Mona O’Neill said in an interview that she was returning Wednesday all forms and petition sheets to Elections Alberta, after there was confusion over privacy.

O’Neill said some were concerned it could become public knowledge that they added their names to the petition and that there was conflicting messaging shared online by Elections Alberta, which manages the petition process.

She said she asked the agency for clarification but didn’t receive a response for a number of weeks. The delay and uncertainty led her to give notice last week that she was withdrawing the petition.

The office later got back to her and explained that names and addresses of signatories would never be made public, she said. But it was too late.

“We would have kept going, if we had official response before the deadline that we had given them.”

O’Neill said she’s not sure how many signatures were gathered before the campaign plug was pulled, but “it’s a lot more than anybody ever would have thought.”

Robyn Bell, a spokesperson for Elections Alberta, said it’s unfortunate O’Neill felt the need to withdraw her petition.

“I’d like to reiterate that anyone who signs a petition will not have their name or personal information released publicly,” Bell said.

A spokesperson for the UCP caucus said Turton would have more to say after Elections Alberta officially announces the end of the petition against him.

Many of the petitioners targeting Smith’s caucus have said they were motivated by the government’s use of the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to halt a provincewide teachers strike at the end of October. Another common complaint was that legislature members are hard to reach or don’t take action on local concerns.

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

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

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2026.

Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press