Elections Alberta receives almost $10M in extra funding amid recall petition surge

Alberta taxpayers are on the hook for millions as Elections Alberta receives funding to manage a surge of politically motivated recall petitions almost exclusively targeting UCP MLAs.

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Alberta taxpayers are on the hook for millions as Elections Alberta receives funding to manage a surge of politically motivated recall petitions almost exclusively targeting United Conservative Party MLAs.

The Standing Committee on Legislative Offices unanimously approved supplemental funding Friday after Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure returned with revised estimates. This came months after his original request of $1.1 million per recall petition, which would have totalled $23.1 million for the 21 current active recall petitions.

Twenty of the 21 petitions are targeting UCP MLAs, partially organized by Operation Total Recall — a group targeting the 47 UCP MLAs who supported using the notwithstanding clause to send teachers back to work and protect children’s right to education.

The single NDP MLA facing a recall petition, Amanda Chapman, recused herself from the committee meeting where the funding was approved.

UCP MLA Chelsae Petrovic commended the government for “respecting taxpayers’ dollars” by questioning the elections officer’s original estimate of over $1 million per recall verification, which he has since reduced to $317,500 each.

“Looking at other jurisdictions, that is a much more reasonable number,” she said. “The numbers needed to be looked at, and obviously for good when we’re talking about taxpayers’ dollars.”

The $317,500 per petition would cost taxpayers almost $6.7 million for the 21 currently active petitions. Elections Alberta previously requested more than $13 million in additional funding to manage recall petitions, but that request was denied.

If all 47 eligible UCP MLAs listed by Operation Total Recall had petitions approved against them, the estimated cost would be nearly $15 million.

Friday’s unanimously supported motion provided almost $10 million in supplementary funding to Elections Alberta for the 2025-26 fiscal year. Other costs highlighted by the committee included salary adjustments for Elections Alberta staff and event preparation and readiness for the upcoming general election and possible referenda.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who is also facing a recall petition, previously debated with NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi about the process being abused.

Nenshi accused her of abandoning her support for the recall process.

Smith said it was “being abused and misused by the unions and others who are trying to take down this government,” adding the groups involved were “very open about the fact that it’s a government overthrow.”

Smith confirmed that other jurisdictions have highlighted the legislation’s intent — to remove elected officials derelict in their duties.

“It was not intended to have unions weaponize it to bus people in and put gofundmes online in order to be able to topple the sitting government. That’s what elections are for,” she said.

Despite speculation that changes to the recall legislation would have been included when Bill 14 was announced, Justice Minister Mickey Amery said no changes were planned. He did, however, confirm that the Recall Act was being “misused and weaponized for political purposes.”