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Penticton MLA ‘optimistic’ about recall bill passing in time for petition launch
Penticton-Summerland independent MLA Amelia Boultbee introduced a bill to make it easier for British Columbians to remove provincial politicians from office and she thinks it could pass by the time a recall petition starts collecting signatures in the spring.
Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Tara Armstrong is facing a motivated recall campaign that has already gathered volunteers and donations. When Boultbee introduced a bill last week to lower the bar for recalling MLAs she didn’t mention Armstrong by name.
When interviewed by iNFOnews.ca, she said there has been some unparliamentary action in Victoria since she took office, but didn’t want to point fingers.
“It’s really important from a public policy perspective that we have a meaningful recall mechanism not only to actually recall somebody, but I think it would deter bad behaviour. Without naming names I think we are seeing some really appalling behaviour in the legislature,” Boultbee said.
Armstrong and her party, OneBC, have introduced several controversial and unsuccessful bills including a bill to remove Truth and Reconciliation Day, ban First Nation land acknowledgements, eliminate gender affirming care for youth and make immigrants pay more for healthcare.
As it stands with the current legislation an MLA can be recalled if petitioners collect paper signatures from 40 per cent of eligible voters. The signatures can only be collected 18 months after an election and they all have to be collected within 60 days.
A successful recall petition is a challenge, and there has never been a successful recall campaign in BC.
Boultbee’s bill would make it so that recall petitions only need to collect the number of signatures equal to the number of votes an MLA received to get elected, and it would allow petitions to start 12 months after an election rather than 18.
Politicians do what they want since they know it’s so difficult for their constituents to recall them, she said.
“It’s being done with impunity because people know that nothing can happen between now and the next provincial election,” Boultbee said.
Boultbee, and OneBC’s party leader Dallas Brodie, have had some tense exchanges both in the legislative assembly and out in public.
Boultbee said the bill she introduced could be passed by the legislature by the opening date for the recall petition for Armstrong in April.
“It’s April 18, not that I’m counting or anything,” she said. “I’m really hopeful, I think there are reasons to be optimistic.”
A few years ago, Alberta premier Danielle Smith introduced provincial recall legislation. Now, 20 MLAs, including Smith herself are facing recall petitions.
Boultbee said she isn’t concerned about her own recall legislation getting turned against her.
“I’m not worried. Of course every politician has detractors so anyone’s free to start a recall petition against me and that’s fine, that’s fair,” she said. “I feel that I have a very strong support base and that I’m serving my community.”
Boultbee was elected as a BC Conservative, but she left the party in October because of differences with John Rustad who recently resigned as the party leader.
Even though Rustad is out, she isn’t convinced that going back to the party would be the best move for her or her constituents, adding she wouldn’t have been able to introduce this recall bill if she were still a member of the Conservative party.
“I’m very happy for the BC Conservatives. I really support them,” she said. “I was able to bring forward a bill that I probably wouldn’t have been allowed in a whipped caucus.”
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