Alberta Recall Petitions: How They Work and What 17+ MLAs Now Face

What This Means for You

Alberta is experiencing an unprecedented wave of recall petitions targeting elected officials. At least 17 UCP MLAs—including Premier Danielle Smith—plus one NDP MLA now face campaigns to remove them from office. If you're an Albertan wondering how this process works, whether you can participate, and what it means for your constituency, here's your complete guide.

If You Want to Sign a Recall Petition

Understanding your right to sign:

Under Alberta's Recall Act, any eligible voter in a constituency can sign a recall petition against their MLA. Here's what you need to know:

Eligibility to sign:

You must be a registered voter in the specific constituency
You must be 18 years or older
You must be a Canadian citizen
You can only sign the petition for your own MLA (not MLAs in other ridings)

How to find and sign a petition:

Verify your constituency. Use Elections Alberta's Electoral Division Profile tool to confirm which riding you live in.
Contact the petition organizer. Each recall petition has a designated chief petitioner. Their contact information should be available through Elections Alberta once the petition is approved.
Sign in person. Recall petitions require original signatures—electronic signatures are not accepted. You'll need to sign at a designated location or when a canvasser visits your area.
Provide your information. You'll need to provide your name, address, and signature. This information becomes part of the public record once the petition is submitted.

Important deadlines:

Petitioners have only 60 days from the date of application approval to collect signatures. Once this window closes, no additional signatures can be added.

Understanding the Signature Requirements

The 40% threshold:

To trigger a recall vote, petitioners must collect signatures from at least 40% of the eligible electors in the constituency. This is a high bar.

Example calculations for key ridings:

Based on 2023 election data, here are approximate signature requirements:

Constituency	2023 Votes Cast	~40% Threshold
Brooks-Medicine Hat (Premier Smith)	~18,000	~7,200 signatures
Red Deer-North (Minister LaGrange)	~16,000	~6,400 signatures
Calgary-Beddington (NDP - Chapman)	~17,000	~6,800 signatures

Why this matters:

Collecting 6,000-7,000 verified signatures in 60 days is extremely challenging. For context, that's roughly 100+ signatures per day, every day, for two months. The petitioners need a significant ground operation to succeed.

If Your MLA Is Facing a Recall

What this means for you as a constituent:

Your representation continues. Your MLA remains in office and continues all duties unless and until a recall vote removes them.
You may be contacted. Expect canvassers at your door or in public spaces asking for signatures. You're under no obligation to sign.
You can support your MLA. If you believe your MLA is doing a good job, you can decline to sign and encourage others to do the same. There's no counter-petition process, but low signature counts effectively defeat recall efforts.

Questions to ask before signing:

What specific actions justify removing my elected representative?
Has my MLA had an opportunity to address these concerns?
Do I want to go through another election in this riding?
Am I comfortable with my name on a public petition?

The Full Recall Process Explained

Step 1: Application (Completed for many MLAs)

A chief petitioner must apply to Elections Alberta to start a recall petition. The application must include:

The name of the MLA being targeted
Grounds for the recall (reasons why the MLA should be removed)
A filing fee

Elections Alberta reviews the application and, if requirements are met, approves the petition.

Step 2: Signature Collection (Currently underway)

Once approved, petitioners have 60 days to collect signatures from 40% of eligible electors. Key rules:

Signatures must be original (in-person)
Signers must be eligible voters in that constituency
The petition can include multiple sheets, but each must be supervised by a designated collector

Step 3: Verification

If enough signatures are submitted, Elections Alberta verifies:

Each signer is an eligible voter in the constituency
Signatures are valid (not duplicated, forged, etc.)
The 40% threshold is actually met

This verification process can take several weeks.

Step 4: Recall Vote (If threshold met)

If verified signatures meet the threshold, a recall vote is held:

The ballot asks: "Should [MLA Name] be removed from office?"
Simple majority (50% + 1) of those voting decides
The vote is held within 28 days of verification completion

Step 5: Outcome

If the MLA survives: They remain in office. No further recall petitions can be filed against them for 18 months.

If the MLA is recalled: They are immediately removed from office. A byelection is called within 6 months. The recalled MLA cannot run in that byelection.

Who Is Currently Facing Recall Petitions

As of December 6, 2025:

UCP MLAs (17+):

Premier Danielle Smith (Brooks-Medicine Hat)
Minister Adriana LaGrange (Red Deer-North) — Primary and Preventative Health Services
Multiple other cabinet ministers and backbench MLAs

NDP MLAs (1):

Amanda Chapman (Calgary-Beddington) — First opposition member targeted

Common reasons cited by petitioners:

Use of the notwithstanding clause to end the October teachers' strike
Perceived failure to listen to constituent concerns
General dissatisfaction with government direction

What Former Premier Jason Kenney Says

Jason Kenney, who introduced Alberta's Recall Act as UCP premier, has criticized how the legislation is being used.

According to the National Observer, Kenney stated the law was never meant to be "a tool for special interest groups" but rather an "ultimate tool of accountability" for politicians who engage in "illegal or unethical behaviour."

Kenney's original intent vs. current reality:

Original Intent	Current Use
Response to serious misconduct	Policy disagreements
Rare, last-resort measure	Widespread political tool
Cross-partisan accountability	Largely partisan campaigns

This raises questions about whether the legislation may be amended in future, regardless of whether current petitions succeed.

For Other Provinces: Could This Happen Elsewhere?

Alberta is the only Canadian province with recall legislation. British Columbia had a recall law from 1995-2019 but never successfully recalled an MLA before the law was repealed.

If you live outside Alberta:

Currently, there is no legal mechanism to recall your provincial or federal representative. Your options are:

Contact your representative directly with concerns
Vote in the next scheduled election
Engage in party nomination processes
Support or oppose candidates through democratic participation

Could recall come to your province?

Alberta's experience will likely influence other provinces. If recalls succeed and are seen as legitimate accountability, other provinces may consider similar laws. If they're perceived as partisan weapons, the concept may lose support.

The News: What Happened

At least 17 UCP MLAs and one NDP MLA are now facing recall petitions in Alberta, according to CBC News and Global News. This marks the first time Alberta's Recall Act, passed in 2021, has been used against provincial politicians.

Premier Danielle Smith herself is expected to be added to the list of MLAs facing recall, according to multiple media reports. A petition targeting her Brooks-Medicine Hat constituency has been approved by Elections Alberta.

The most recent additions include Primary and Preventative Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange (Red Deer-North) and NDP MLA Amanda Chapman (Calgary-Beddington)—the first opposition member to face a recall effort, according to Global News.

Former Premier Jason Kenney, who introduced the recall legislation, told media on Thursday that the law was "never meant to be used as a tool for special interest groups." According to the National Observer, Kenney described it as an "ultimate tool of accountability" intended for cases of "illegal or unethical behaviour."

Recall organizers have cited several grievances, including the UCP government's use of the Charter's notwithstanding clause to end a provincewide teachers' strike in October, according to CBC News. Many petitioners say UCP politicians are "not listening to constituent concerns" and "broke trust."

Under Alberta's Recall Act, petitioners have 60 days to collect signatures from 40% of eligible electors. If successful, a recall vote is held, and a simple majority can remove the MLA from office, according to Elections Alberta.

Analysis: Why This Matters

This wave of recall petitions represents a significant test of Alberta's democratic experiment—and could influence politics across Canada.

Three key implications:

1. Testing the recall mechanism: No Canadian politician has ever been successfully recalled from office. Alberta's law sets a high bar (40% of electors), which may prove insurmountable. If petitions fail to collect enough signatures, it could demonstrate that the safeguards work as intended.

2. Political polarization: The fact that both UCP and NDP MLAs face recalls suggests this tool is being used across partisan lines—though UCP members are disproportionately targeted. This may normalize recall as a political tactic rather than an emergency accountability measure.

3. Future of recall legislation: Depending on outcomes, Alberta may amend its law. Other provinces watching closely include British Columbia (which repealed its recall law) and Ontario (which has considered similar legislation). Success or failure in Alberta will shape these debates.

What happens next:

Based on our analysis:

Most petitions are unlikely to reach the 40% threshold—it requires extraordinary grassroots organizing
Even if thresholds are met, recall votes could go either way depending on turnout
The Premier's recall petition will receive the most attention and resources from both supporters and opponents
Expect legislative discussions about potential amendments to the Recall Act in the 2026 session

Your Action Plan

If You Want to Participate:

This week:

Verify your constituency at Elections Alberta
Research whether your MLA faces a recall petition
Decide your position based on your MLA's actions and your values

If you support the recall:

Contact the petition organizer to find signing locations
Encourage like-minded neighbours to sign
Volunteer to collect signatures if you have time

If you oppose the recall:

Politely decline if approached to sign
Contact your MLA's office to express support
Share factual information about the high threshold required

If You Want to Stay Informed:

Follow Elections Alberta for official petition status updates
Check local news for signature collection progress
Note the 60-day deadlines for each petition

Other Perspectives

Recall Organizers:

Petitioners argue that elected officials have broken trust with constituents. Common complaints include the use of the notwithstanding clause, perceived failure to address healthcare and education concerns, and a feeling that MLAs don't listen to their ridings.

Premier Smith and UCP:

The government has largely characterized the recall efforts as politically motivated. Supporters argue that policy disagreements are normal in democracy and should be resolved at the ballot box during regular elections.

Jason Kenney (Original Legislation Author):

The former premier has publicly stated the law is being "misused" as a political weapon rather than for its intended purpose of addressing serious misconduct. He expressed concern about the precedent being set.

NDP Opposition:

While one NDP MLA also faces recall, the opposition has generally not discouraged recall efforts against UCP members. The party has focused on the substantive policy issues driving constituent anger.

Democratic Scholars:

Academics note that recall mechanisms can enhance accountability but also create instability if overused. The 40% threshold was designed to balance these concerns.

Corrections Policy

We strive for accuracy. If you find an error in this analysis, please email us at [email protected]. We will promptly investigate and correct any factual inaccuracies.

Updates:

No corrections to date (as of December 6, 2025)

Elections Alberta: Official information on recall petitions
Alberta Recall Act: Full text of the legislation
How to Contact Your MLA: Alberta Legislative Assembly directory

Sources

CBC News: "3 more UCP MLAs and 1 NDP MLA face recall petitions in Alberta"
Global News: "2 more Alberta cabinet ministers and NDP MLA latest targets of recall campaign"
Global News: "Here's all the Alberta politicians facing citizen recall petitions"
National Observer: "Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney says politician recall legislation being misused"
CTV News: "Alberta recall campaign launched against Premier Danielle Smith"
Elections Alberta: Recall Act procedures and requirements