Recall petition issued for Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Justin Wright, and two others

Justin Wright is a first-term UCP legislature member, as is Ron Wiebe, who represents the Grande Prairie-Wapiti riding.

Peggy Wright serves as the NDP labour critic and is the Legislative Assembly member for Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview.

The petitioners, looking to oust Wiebe and Justin Wright, said in statements that they’re motivated in part because the politicians supported the government’s legislation that forced striking teachers back to work earlier this year.

The petitioner seeking to remove Peggy Wright says it’s because the NDP member is not accessible to constituents and was critical of the government’s move to ban some books from school libraries.

Justin Wright said he thinks the recall petitions are currently being abused.

“I wasn’t in favour of recall before we made the changes in spring, and as we looked around at other folks across the country in regards to jurisdictions, some folks that do have recall legislation, we look to emulate some of the changes that they had to better align, that’s kind of where things are at now,” Wright said.

“If you’ve got some folks that I think are abusing the system based upon some of the changes that were made, it’s certainly not being used for the reasons it should have been, which should be, extensive breaches of trust in regards to like criminal charges and whatnot.”

The Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA acknowledged that several individuals are expressing dissatisfaction with the choice to support Bill 2.

“When we continue to look, it’s going to be one of those things where folks are using recall not for the purpose of recalling somebody who has broken the law or had an increased breach of trust,” Wright said.

“We’ve got folks that are just using it as a weapon now of disagreement over policy decisions. So at the end of the day, I still believe it’s being used incorrectly, but they’re currently within the existing rule.”

Wright added that he is committed to making sure the community is put first.

“My whole job is to advocate for my region, and that’s what I’m going to continue to do as we’ve done with securing investment in the Yuill School of Agriculture, in the women’s shelter and infrastructure, grants that the province has spent here in the region,” Wright said.

“Specifically, the one that I always come back to is $5.2 million to protect our water infrastructure with the city water treatment facility,” he added.

“I’m just going to continue to keep pushing along and put Medicine Hat first with their priorities and look forward to what the new year brings.”

Petitioners have three months to collect signatures equal to 60 per cent of the total number of votes cast in their constituency in the 2023 provincial election.

In the Cypress-Medicine Hat constituency, that total would be 13,150.

Justin Wright received 13,489 votes during the 2023 Alberta general election, which represented almost 62 per cent of the total votes.

Holly Turnbull detailed her reason as the petition applicant in a statement to Elections Alberta.

“I request a recall petition because Justin Wright has failed to represent constituents. He remained silent on eastern slopes coal mining despite significant risks to water and agriculture,” Turnbull’s statement read.

“He supported use of the notwithstanding clause to remove Charter rights from Albertans without consultation. He shared a story in the Legislature later contradicted by RCMP information and did not clarify it, while ignoring widespread opposition to a provincial police force,” she added.

“He has dismissed constituent concerns and failed to meaningfully address lack of access to health care and rising costs affecting families. Water is life.”

A statement was returned to Elections Alberta by the Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA.

“I have consistently represented constituent interests through active legislative participation and community engagement. My position on coal mining has evolved with stakeholder input, reflecting a commitment to responsive representation,” Wright said.

“The Cypress County letter I referenced was tabled in the Legislature to provide a factual basis for my comments, ensuring accurate conveyance of constituent correspondence as part of my legislative duties. On healthcare, I have advocated for improvements, facilitated meetings with ministers, and advanced constituent concerns through proper channels,” he added.

“I maintain open communication with constituents across diverse viewpoints and continue to uphold transparent, accountable service to Cypress-Medicine Hat.”

If the petition is successful, a constituency-wide vote would be held on whether the politician keeps their seat.

If the member loses, a byelection would be held.

– With files from The Canadian Press

by Jesse Gill, Jett Schwaier

Recall petition issued for Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Justin Wright, and two others

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