Campaigns to Recall Medicine Hat MLAs Smith and Wright Ramping Up
The UCP’s use of the notwithstanding clause seems to have Woken the dragon
Medicine Hat residents have stepped up to start recall petitions for both Medicine Hat MLAs, Premier Danielle Smith (Brooks-Medicine Hat) and Justin Wright (Cypress-Medicine Hat). This is part of a province wide campaign called Operation Total Recall which garnered traction after the UCP government used the notwithstanding clause to force the teachers back to work and impose a contract that the teachers had already rejected.
Protests
A local group of residents called AWAREMHAB (Alberta Wins: Act, Respond, Educate - Medicine Hat Alberta) have been protesting Premier Smith and the UCP party since 2024, they have been doing weekly protests since early this year. They started in front of Premier Smith’s office in Crescent Heights but have now moved down to outside Justin Wright’s office. They are out there every Saturday morning from 11-noon.
A group called Medicine Hat Allies of the Teachers' has recently joined AWAREMHAB at their Saturday morning rallies.
Operation Total Recall
The Operation Total Recall website says it is a grassroots initiative to “Organize recall campaigns for the 44* MLAs who voted to use the Notwithstanding Clause against not just teachers, but all Alberta workers.”
Coming on the heels of the massive success of the Forever Canadian Petition (FCP) started by Thomas Lucaszuk which gathered over 450,000 signatures - far more than the nearly 300,000 needed - this has the potential to strike fear into every UCP MLA.
Most people thought it could not be done. After all, the signature requirement was very high - 10% of the registered voters in the province (293,976). The FCP was filed days before the new rules came into effect which would have reduced the signature requirement to 177,732.
Lucaszuk did not want to wait.
Lucaszuk’s campaign was hugely successful - he was able to gather the support of over 10,000 volunteers from all over the province. Lucaszuk told the Owl that the Medicine Hat volunteers collected far more signatures than expected for our population. Some of these volunteers have since registered as canvassers for the latest Citizen Initiative Petition called Alberta Funds Public Schools.
So far two MLA recall petitions have been officially approved and are collecting signatures. The Operation Total Recall website is saying another 10 petitions have been approved (they do not yet appear on the website) and paperwork for 4 more have been submitted. The rest of the UCP MLAs are listed as "targeted".
With the UCP and NDP seat counts at 49 and 38 respectively (plus 2 independents), it will not take much to force a change in government. Once a recall petition is considered to be successful, a recall vote must be held within 4 months. If 50% of the voters are in favour of recall, the position is vacated and a by-election is held.
If 12 UCP MLAs are recalled, the NDP would take power.
If 6 seats are flipped from UCP to NDP, the NDP takes power.
The next general election is October 18 2027; the government can opt to call it earlier.
Premier Smith says she does not believe these petitions are being held in good faith, that they are trying to overthrow the government. Her government is mulling over options including repealing the Recall Act.
Recall Petitions
The two recall petitions currently collecting signatures are for
Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education and Childcare, Calgary-Bow
Angela Pitt, Airdrie-East
Nicolaides filed a member statement in response to the recall petition application saying
“A recall of an MLA should not proceed when the stated reason is dissatisfaction with government policy rather than a failure in the member's core duties.”
Pitt had the opportunity to submit a response in the recall process but chose not to, however on Nov 12 she published an open letter where she appears to echo his sentiment adding that the Recall Act is being
“weaponized by political activists who disagree with government policy”.
The Recall Act was passed in 2021 under Jason Kenney’s UCP government. It sounds like they are a wee bit worried that the public will use the Recall Act.
Demetrios Nicolaides is fighting back, asking for volunteers to counteract the recall option, which may be in violation of section 55 of the Recall Act which cites undue influence as an offence.
