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4mo ago

First Alberta Recall Petition Fails, With 6,500 Signatures Versus 16,000 Needed

The shortfall highlights how Alberta’s 60% signature rule makes successful recalls unlikely.

Jenny Yeremiy speaks to media about her petition against Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides outside the Elections Alberta office, in Edmonton, on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
Jenny Yeremiy, seen here at a demonstration outside the office of Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides on September 26, 2025, had spearheaded a campaign to recall him but did not garner enough signatures.
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Minister of Education and Childcare Demetrios Nicolaides speaks at a news conference in Edmonton on Dec. 3, 2025. The MLA for Calgary Bow will not face a recall vote after a campaign didn't receive enough signatures.

Overview

  • Petitioners seeking to recall Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides in Calgary-Bow submitted about 6,500 signatures against a target of roughly 16,000 by the Jan. 21 deadline.
  • Elections Alberta said it will outline next steps after the official deadline, which was the first among more than two dozen late-2025 recall bids.
  • Alberta’s law gives petitioners three months to collect signatures equal to 60% of votes cast in their riding in the 2023 election, which would only trigger a constituency vote on removal.
  • Organizer Jenny Yeremiy cast the effort as useful organizing ahead of the 2027 election, while Nicolaides’ office called the low tally proof the campaign lacked merit.
  • Other recall drives report slow progress, with some counting only hundreds of signatures so far and the campaign targeting Premier Danielle Smith declining to disclose totals.