Recall Petition Approved: Smith Now Faces a 60-Day Campaign—and Her Own Party’s Boos
MEDICINE HAT – The rubber stamp has come down. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gordon McClure has approved a recall petition against Premier Danielle Smith, setting the stage for a high-stakes, 60-day signature hunt in her own backyard.
But before anyone grabs a clipboard, the Recall Act demands a brief waiting period—a sort of calm before the democratic storm. Smith now has until December 9 to submit a 100-word defense to the CEO, after which her statement and the petitioner’s complaint will be posted publicly. Only then will the official 60-day signature period begin.
The Math Problem: 60% of the Last Election’s Vote
Organizers must collect signatures from 60% of the total number of voters who cast a ballot in Brooks-Medicine Hat in the last election. The number is 12,070 signatures from verified, eligible voters.
A Two-Act Play: Signatures Today, Recall Vote Tomorrow
Clearing the 12,070-signature hurdle doesn’t end the drama—it simply changes the venue. If the threshold is met and verified, a recall vote must be held within four months. In that standalone vote, a simple majority (50% +1) of participating constituents would be needed to actually recall the Premier and force a by-election. The next scheduled provincial election is not until 2027, making this the only potential electoral reckoning on the horizon.
Premier Under Siege: From Constituents and Her Own Caucus
The petition arrives at a uniquely vulnerable moment for Smith. Her recent political standing could be charitably described as “bruised.”
Booed at the UCP AGM: She was publicly booed by factions of the 4,000 party members gathered in Calgary—the very activists who shape party policy. Notably, while the UCP boasts roughly 50,000 members province-wide, only those physically present at the AGM hold voting power, a structure that often amplifies the most fervent voices.
Catering to the Fringe: The AGM floor passed a slate of hardline resolutions that read like a separatist’s wishlist: withholding taxes from Ottawa, pushing an Alberta Pension Plan, and seeking constitutional amendments for provincial “exclusive jurisdiction.” The only resolution that failed sought to ban foreigners from owning property—suggesting the room’s radicalism has its limits, just not many. Critics argue Smith’s tenure, marked by the Alberta Sovereignty Act, has been a prolonged nod to this faction. The resolutions are non binding however they have been turned into policy in the past.
The “Carpetbagger” Charge: The petitioner’s statement cuts to a local nerve, accusing Smith of having “no meaningful history here” and refusing to consult local experts while pushing policies that “weaken public services.” It’s a charge that resonates in a riding where the urban core voted NDP and the incumbent MLA fell on her sword in 2022 to hand Smith a safe seat.
The Stakes: A Warning Shot or a Political Execution?
With 14 other recall petitions active against UCP MLAs (and 6 more pending including Smith’s according to the website Operation Total Recall), rumours swirl that the government may move to repeal the Recall Act it created. For now, however, the mechanism is in motion.
The coming 60 days will test whether local discontent can be converted into 12,070 signatures. For Premier Smith, the countdown isn’t just to a potential recall vote—it’s a race to rebuild credibility with a riding she parachuted into after the incumbent MLA Michaela Frey fell on her sword, and a party base that just booed her off its stage.
Premier Smith’s response
Th Owl reached out to Danielle Smith’s satellite constituency office about the allegations made in the petition application and received this reply, not from her office but from the UCP Caucus. This canned response is identical to another we’ve received.
Please refer to the response below on behalf of the United Conservative Caucus:
“The recall process should not be used to overturn democratic elections just because an individual disagrees with government policy. Recalls are meant to address breaches of trust, serious misconduct, or a sustained failure to represent constituents, not political disagreements.
“Our United Conservative Caucus remains focused on what we were elected to do, which is standing up for Albertans by growing our economy, lowering taxes, and creating opportunities.”
