Campaign to recall Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Tara Armstrong begins

A local activist has begun organizing a campaign to recall controversial far-right Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Tara Armstrong.

A day after BC Premier David Eby said he would support any effort to see Armstrong ousted from legislature, Kelowna activist Wilbur Turner launched an online effort in preparation for an anticipated recall petition.

The Facebook group called Recall Tara Armstrong: Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream is described as a “grassroots organizing hub” for the campaign to recall the OneBC MLA.

“This group brings together community members who are concerned about MLA Tara Armstrong’s refusal to participate in public debates, her lack of transparency with media and constituents, and her promotion of policies that undermine Indigenous rights, 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion, and evidence-based public education,” a description of the group reads.

Turner told iNFOnews.ca last month he was considering leading such a campaign.

“Based on the sentiment, people that I’ve talked to in the riding, there’s really a lot of people disgusted with her and her politics,” he said at the time.

Armstrong was elected under the BC Conservative Party banner in last year’s election, refusing to take part in candidate forums or respond to media inquiries during the campaign. To date, she has not agreed to a single interview request from iNFOnews.ca.

In March, she left the official opposition to join a new fringe party called OneBC started by MLA Dallas Brodie.

Brodie was ousted from the Conservative Party for mocking Indian residential school survivors and, together, they have since sought to undermine Indigenous reconciliation, pushed anti-vaccine misinformation in the legislature and taken aim at transgender health care and education.

An online petition was launched earlier this year to oust Armstrong from office, but the effort is futile.

An official recall petition can’t be launched until April 20, 2026, 18 months after the election. It will require more than 13,000 signatures from the Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream riding to oust Armstrong and trigger a byelection.