Want to recall a Canadian politician? It's not easy — if it's even allowed where you live

It's not so easy to remove a politician from office between elections in Canada.

That's due, in part, to the fact there are few jurisdictions in the country where laws to recall an elected representative are in place. And even where recalls are an option, the requirements to trigger one are challenging, some political observers say.

But the process is currently being played out in a major way in Alberta, where, thanks to citizen-led petition drives, 21 members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) who belong to the governing United Conservative Party (UCP) — including Premier Danielle Smith — are facing recall petitions from constituents. One Alberta NDP MLA is also facing a recall.

Those behind the campaigns have accused their elected representatives of failing to address the concerns and viewpoints of constituents.

Meanwhile, in British Columbia, there have been calls for MLA Dallas Brodie to resign or be recalled over her comments about residential schools.

Yet with the bar set so high for recalls, these politicians' seats are likely not in jeopardy.

"The people that are behind these recall petitions are very sincere and they they don't quite understand, I think, the challenge they face," said Keith Brownsey, a retired political science professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary.

Here's a closer look at recall legislation in Canada, its history, arguments for and against, and the chances of a recall succeeding.

So far, only Alberta and B.C. have legislation that allows for the recall of politicians.

Private members' bills have been initiated to introduce the law in other jurisdictions, including Ontario and Quebec, along with initiatives to recall federal politicians, but all have failed to pass.

In B.C., since 1995, when the Recall and Initiative Act was brought into effect, the B.C. Chief Electoral Officer has approved 30 recall petitions.

However, only six of those petitions were returned to Elections B.C. for verification, and five of those did not have enough valid signatures.

One of those six petitions was related to then MLA Paul Reitsma, who in 1999 was expected to be recalled over a series of letters he had written to newspaper editors and political opponents under phoney names. But he resigned before a recall could take place.

So, no MLA has yet been recalled in B.C.