Taxpayer watchdog advocates for recall legislation to oust former Alberta premier Alison Redford

Do we deserve the right to fire our politicians?

On Friday, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation launched a campaign to urge Alberta lawmakers to adopt MLA recall legislation to give voters in that province the ability to force a byelection in their respective constituency.

Their immediate target is former premier Alison Redford who, this week, was the subject of a leaked auditor general's report which suggested improprieties in her use of government planes.

While Redford claims she did nothing wrong, the CTF has their sights on the MLA for Calgary-Elbow.

"Citizens deserve the right to hold their elected officials accountable more than once every four years," CTF Alberta Director Derek Fildebrandt said in a statement.

"When politicians prove themselves unworthy of, and unfit for their office, voters should be empowered to legally remove them from power. Considering how former Premier Redford has treated taxpayer’s money with disrespect, yet remains the MLA for Calgary-Elbow, the CTF believes that her constituents deserve the right to recall Redford if they so choose."

[ Related: In light of the ongoing spending scandals, is the Alberta PC brand still salvageable? ]

So far, British Columbia is the only jurisdiction in Canada that has recall legislation. In that province, citizens can vote to turf out their sitting MLA if they're able to collect the signatures of at least 40 per cent of eligible voters in their riding.

Last year, in Ontario, Progressive Conservative MPP Randy Hillier introduced a similar bill at Queen's Park. His private members bill — which hasn't gone anywhere — would empower citizens to recall an elected politician with a petition signed by 25 per cent of voters.

He even hinted that the legislation could be expanded to include municipal politicians.

[ Related: Alberta town strips mayor’s powers but can’t remove him from office – sound familiar? ]

Recall legislation seems to be a lot more common in non-commonwealth countries.

Global News recently chronicled some of the higher profile recalls in the United States.

Critics argue that recall legislation would become a joke; that it would be used haphazardly by individuals wanting to settle old political scores.

But the British Columbia experience has shown that if you have a high enough threshold of signatures (ie: 40 per cent) then the legislation is not misused.

According to Elections B.C., their law has only been used 24 times since it came into effect almost 20 years ago.

"Twenty three of the 24 petitions failed as they did not collect enough valid signatures," notes their website.

"One petition was halted during the verification process because the MLA in question resigned."

What do you think?

Is it time we institute recall legislation in our parliaments, legislatures and city halls?

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

(Photo courtesy of The Canadian Press)

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