Alberta premier hopes failing recall petitions a sign people feel heard
CBC
Premier Danielle Smith says she hopes failing recall petitions against members of her caucus mean Albertans are feeling heard.
Two dozen recall petitions were launched late last year against United Conservative Party legislature members, but so far none have been successful.
At least half were confirmed to be unsuccessful as of last week.
Most of the petitions were started after Smith's government used the Charter's notwithstanding clause to end a provincewide teachers strike last fall.
Smith said Monday she knew the move created "a lot of concern," but she believes the results illustrate that concern has subsided.
"We made a choice, and it is the right of citizens to be able to gather and tell us that they disagree with that," the premier told reporters in Lethbridge at an unrelated news conference.
"What I take from the results I've seen so far is that there was initial concern, but I think people are relieved to have kids back in the class."
Smith also said she thinks the government has demonstrated its willingness to work with teachers after the strike, pointing to investments it's making to try and solve classroom complexity problems and overcrowding.
"I hope that the results just demonstrate that people are feeling that we listened, we heard, and we're moving in the right direction, even if they disagreed with the way we went about it."
The first recall petition to be launched was against Smith's Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides. After three months of collecting signatures, the campaign wrapped up in January with about 6,500 signatures, or 40 per cent of the total needed.
To date no other petition has collected more signatures or achieved a higher percentage.
Other members of Smith's cabinet to have a petition against them fail include Advanced Education Minister Myles McDougall, Indigenous Relations Minister Rajan Sawhney, Agriculture Minister R.J. Sigurdson and Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally.
There's been varied reactions to the petitions against coming up short, with some politicians saying it represents a renewed mandate while others have said they're happy to put the petition in the rear-view mirror.
The remaining petitions against Smith's caucus, including the premier, are due this month.
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