EDMONTON — Elections Alberta has issued recall petitions against five more members of Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party caucus, bringing the total to 14.
The new total means that almost a third of the 47 United Conservative members in the legislature are now engaged in the recall process, potentially threatening the balance of power in the house.
Tuesday’s approvals include petitions for cabinet ministers Searle Turton and Nathan Neudorf.
Also facing petitions are backbenchers Jason Stephan, Jackie Lovely and Glenn van Dijken.
Under Alberta’s Recall Act, any person eligible to vote in a riding can ask to begin collecting signatures to try to get their legislature member expelled if they feel the member is failing at their duties.
All five of the new petitioners, in statements to Elections Alberta, say they feel their legislature members have failed to advocate for their communities and, in some cases, have not been reachable.
Some also refer to their member’s support of the government using the notwithstanding clause to end the recent provincewide teachers strike as being reason enough.
“His behaviour constitutes dereliction of duty to his constituents, especially as he has placed toeing the party line above protecting the rights of his constituents,” wrote the petitioner looking to oust van Dijken.
In the case of Stephan, petitioner Nicole Green wrote that the second-term MLA should also be recalled for supporting a “separatist agenda” and having “disdain” for French speakers.
“His focus on divisive, party-driven issues, instead of local priorities like affordability and health care, also shows he is an ineffective MLA,” Green wrote.
Stephan, in a statement to Elections Alberta, fired back.
“This petition for recall will fail,” he wrote, citing a number of accomplishments as a member of the legislature including money for post-secondary schools and health care in the city of Red Deer.
“Moreover, I have sought to, boldly and respectfully, speak the truth as I best understand it, even if some do not like it, seeking freedom and prosperity for Albertans.”
Others, in their own statements to Elections Alberta, have also denied any insinuation that they have been ignoring the concerns of their constituents.
“I have consistently worked to represent Lethbridge-East with integrity, listening to diverse perspectives and making decisions in the best interest of our community and province,” Neudorf, who serves as utilities minister, wrote in his response letter. At a press conference Tuesday, the minister referred questions about the petition against him to his response statement.
It has been a common grievance seen in the first nine petitions that were issued, alongside complaints that members voted in favour of using the notwithstanding clause.
The 14 members being targeted represent constituencies across the province, ranging from Grande Prairie in the north to Lethbridge in the south. Five represent the Calgary area.
Smith and her UCP caucus have argued the petitioners aren’t using the recall system appropriately, saying it should be saved for serious wrongdoing not disagreements over government policy.
Some ministers have gone further and said the recent outburst of recall petitions is the work of an organized group looking to topple the government.
Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally, who had a petition against him approved Monday, has said he believes the constituent challenging him is a proxy for the group, something the petitioner denies.
Mona O’Neill, the petitioner looking to oust Turton, took offence to the characterization, saying it was an “easy excuse” for the government.
“I made this decision sitting on my couch at home watching the legislative assembly on TV,” she said in an interview. “This has nothing to do with the Alberta Federation of Labour or the NDP or any type of extreme political party.”
“This is just me getting upset enough that I said, ‘enough.’
“If he’s not going to respond to emails and he’s not going to make himself available to constituents, then maybe he’ll listen to this.”
Smith has also said changes to the Recall Act are being discussed and that she has concerns about online fundraising and even foreign interference driving the campaigns. To date she hasn’t provided specifics or said when those changes would be enacted.
Stephan, speaking to reporters at the legislature Tuesday, said that despite being one of the 14 campaigned against, he thought the recall process provided a “great check and balance.”
Other high-profile targets facing petitions are Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides and Speaker of the house Ric McIver.
The recall petition process allows those behind each campaign to collect signatures in their constituency over three months and, if they collect enough, a vote is held on whether the MLA keeps their seat.
It’s a long, multi-stage process, but if all 14 MLAs are defeated in constituency votes, it would give the Opposition NDP — with 38 members — a majority of the seats in the 87-seat house.
NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said if it comes down to it, he thinks the premier would call an election before losing majority government status.
“I don’t know how successful these petitions will be, but certainly they are incredibly destabilizing,” Nenshi said. “They show that we’ve got a government that has lost all grip on reality and is completely out of touch with its citizens.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2025.
Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press
