Organizers of a recall petition for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Wednesday that Elections Alberta has formally approved the petition.
Elections Alberta has not yet posted the approved petition for Smith, who represents the Brooks-Medicine Hat riding, to its website, but Postmedia has seen a letter signed by Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure approving the recall application.
In the letter, McClure states he’s satisfied the application meets the requirements for approval of a recall petition.
Applicant Heather V, whose last name is being withheld for safety reasons after she and other organizers received threats, said Wednesday that the petition against Smith was started over concerns about her “lack of presence and meaningful engagement with this community.”
“She has no meaningful connection to the community, and constituents have been struggling to get a hold of her to express their concerns,” she said in a statement on Wednesday.
Recall petitions have also been approved for
14 other United Conservative MLAs
, including numerous cabinet ministers.
In the Brooks-Medicine Hat riding, petition organizers will need the signatures of more than 12,000 residents to trigger a byelection.
During the
last week, Smith said the recall process is being abused, but
Justice Minister Mickey Amery said Tuesday at the legislature that the government does not intend to make changes to the Recall Act during the current legislative session.
In response to the recall petition targeting Alberta’s premier, the United Conservative caucus repeated in a Wednesday statement what it said in a Nov. 24 statement, after Elections Alberta reported that
six more recall petitions had been approved
against UCP MLAs.
“The recall process should not be used to overturn democratic elections just because an individual disagrees with government policy,” reads the statement. “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.”