THE petition to recall Harwinder Sandhu, MLA for Vernon-Monashee, has failed, Elections BC announced on Wednesday.

The petition was not submitted to Elections BC by October 11, the deadline established by the Recall and Initiative Act.

The petition was issued to proponent Genevieve Ring on August 12. A total of 28 voters registered as canvassers to collect signatures.

Sandhu in a statement to a local newspaper in her riding at the time said: “I will not be intimidated by a small group of extreme activists that do not represent the vast majority of people in Vernon-Monashee. As a healthcare worker, I stand behind the decisions we made as a government to help keep British Columbians and frontline workers healthy and safe during the pandemic. And I will continue working every day to stand up for what’s right and to make life better for the people I represent.”

Despite the petition’s failure the proponent must return their petition sheets to Elections BC. Signature counts will not be available once the petition is received, as Elections BC takes no steps to count or verify signatures for late petitions.

The recall proponent and MLA must file financial disclosure reports with the Chief Electoral Officer on or before 4:30 p.m., November 8.

Twenty-seven recall petitions have been issued since the Recall and Initiative Act came into force in 1995. None have met the requirements established by the Act.

For more information about the recall petition process, visit the Elections BC website at https://elections.bc.ca/recall-initiative/recall/.