ELECTIONS BC on Monday announced that a petition to recall Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu will be issued, after it received an application that met the requirements of the Recall and Initiative Act.
The proponent of the recall is Genevieve Ring.
Sandhu in a statement to a local newspaper in her riding 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.”
Elections BC noted that under the Recall and Initiative Act, any registered voter in British Columbia can apply to have a recall petition issued for their electoral district. They must submit an application form, a $50 processing fee, and a statement of 200 words or less on why they feel the member should be recalled. Applications must be approved if these legislated criteria are met.
Elections BC does not have discretion to evaluate applications on any other criteria.
The petition will be issued on August 12, at which time registered canvassers may begin collecting signatures. The petition must be returned to Elections BC no later than October 11.
For the petition to be successful, registered canvassers must collect signatures from 40% or more of the voters eligible to sign the petition, or 21,268 voters.
To be eligible to sign the petition, an individual must be a registered voter, and must have been registered to vote in Vernon-Monashee on October 24, 2020 (General Voting Day for the last provincial election in B.C.).
There are currently no registered canvassers for this petition.
The expenses limit for both the proponent and the member is $37,046.52.
After the petition is submitted, Elections BC has 42 days to verify that those who signed the petition were eligible to do so. In the event of a successful recall petition, the recalled member’s seat becomes vacant and a by-election must be called within 90 days. The recalled member can run as a candidate in the by-election.
The Chief Electoral Officer has approved 26 previous recall petitions since the Recall and Initiative Act came into force in 1995. Six of those petitions were returned to Elections BC for verification. Of the six, five did not have enough valid signatures and one was halted during the verification process because the member resigned.
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