November 3, 2025
RED FM News Desk
A second member of Alberta’s legislature is facing a citizen-led recall effort.
Chief electoral officer Gordon McClure told a legislature committee Monday that a recall campaign has been approved against United Conservative MLA Angela Pitt, who represents Airdrie-East and serves as deputy Speaker.
McClure did not disclose the applicant’s reason for seeking Pitt’s removal but said signature collection can begin Wednesday. The applicant has until early February to gather just under 15,000 signatures from eligible voters in the riding.
If the petition meets the threshold and is validated, a recall vote would be held within four months. More than half of voters would need to support the recall for Pitt to lose her seat.
In a statement, Pitt said she takes her duties seriously and cautioned that recalls should not be used simply over policy disagreements. “Recalls are meant to address breaches of trust, serious misconduct or a sustained failure to represent constituents, not political disagreements,” she said.
The approval follows a separate recall petition targeting Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides, whose critic accuses him of undermining Alberta’s public education system. Nicolaides has said recall campaigns should not be used for political purposes.
There have been reports of other recall efforts aimed at United Conservative caucus members. Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally told reporters last week he was aware of more than a dozen campaigns. Indigenous Relations Minister Rajan Sawhney was recently confronted by protesters chanting “Recall!” at a constituency event following the government’s move to end a provincewide teachers’ strike using the notwithstanding clause.
Opposition NDP deputy leader Rakhi Pancholi said the recall efforts reflect public frustration. “This is a government that brought in recall legislation, and Albertans are taking advantage of it,” she said. “I guess it’s come home to roost for them.”
McClure said he is requesting additional funding to manage the workload of verifying recall petitions and other citizen initiatives, including two ongoing referendum efforts — one led by former deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk calling for a policy opposing Alberta separation, and another seeking to end provincial funding for private schools.
McClure told the committee his office had asked for an additional $13.5 million, saying the resources were “crucial” to maintain operations. The United Conservative majority ultimately approved just $1.45 million in extra support.
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