A citizen recall campaign against Premier Daniel Smith is officially underway in Alberta. Elections Alberta approved a petition filed in Smith’s Brooks-Medicine Hat electoral district on December 3, making a rare premiership recall in provincial history a reality. Alberta enacted a recall law in 2021, allowing citizens to submit petitions to remove legislators from office.
The law was revised in 2025 to ease the requirements. However, the law remains a high hurdle, requiring signatures from more than 60% of eligible voters in the electoral district. The petitioners criticized Premier Smith for not being rooted in the community and not adequately reflecting the voices of residents. They also expressed dissatisfaction with policies such as education and healthcare reform, cuts to AISH programs, and the allocation of funding to private schools. They also cited bills restricting the rights of transgender children and the overuse of the “not-withstanding” clause, which was also used to address teacher strikes, as reasons for their backlash.
In addition to Premier Smith, 20 members of the ruling United Conservative Party of Alberta (UCP) are also being recalled, including Environment Minister Rebecca Schultz and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish. One member of the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) is also being recalled, making this a cross-party movement. Premier Smith issued a statement on December 9th, stressing that “the community has not been forgotten” and that he has made progress in improving roads, schools and medical facilities. He also pointed out the danger of weakening the democratic system, saying that “the recall system is being abused by protest movements.”
If the petition is approved, it would be an unprecedented event in which the state premier loses his seat and could bring about major chaos in state politics. However, the number of signatures required is large, and it is unclear whether it will be approved.
Speaking of Premier Smith, he made headlines in November when he signed a memorandum of understanding with Premier Mark Carney regarding the construction of an oil sands pipeline from Alberta to the coast of British Columbia.
This year, he has also been pushing legislation that could support the simmering independence movement in Alberta. It is extremely rare for an Alberta premier to be the subject of a citizen recall campaign, the first time in about 90 years.