Recall petition labelled political hit job against UCP MLA flops
Another recall petition targeting United Conservative Party office holders has failed.
Author: Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
Another recall petition targeting United Conservative Party office holders has failed.
This time a petition targeting Airdrie-East UCP MLA and Deputy Speaker Angela Pitt has fell short of the required number of signatures.
Launched in November by local activist Derek Keenan, the petition collected roughly 2,200 signatures, far below the nearly 15,000 required to trigger a recall vote.
The failed attempt marks the first of 26 recall petitions filed against Alberta MLAs last year to collapse.
Another petition, aimed at Alberta’s Education Minister, also stumbled, reaching only about 40 per cent of the necessary support.
Keenan, who also serves as a high school principal, framed his campaign as a way to spotlight local concerns rather than as a serious effort to unseat Pitt.
Pitt, meanwhile, rejected the campaign as politically motivated.
She accused Keenan of leveraging his position as a principal to advance a partisan agenda rather than genuinely represent community interests.
No statement was immediately provided by Pitt’s office or the UCP caucus regarding the petition’s outcome.
The failed recall serves as an early sign that Alberta voters may be wary of politically driven petitions, particularly when targeting elected officials with strong local ties.
A total of 24 other recall petitions are still pending or in circulation.
Really sharp reporting here. The 2200 vs 15000 gap is pretty telling, shows how organizing against entrenched local officials takes way more than just showing up with a clipboard. I've seen similar petitions fail in my area and the common thread is always underestimating the boots-on-ground work needed. Curious if the other 24 pending petitions wil see same result or if organizers learned from this.