Telkwa council is proposing a resolution that would allow B.C. residents to remove municipal politicians whose performances have been undesirable or unacceptable.
Recall is a legal mechanism whereby a specified percentage of voters can petition for an election to remove a particular elected official. If the vote is in favour of removal, then the seat of the official is declared vacant and a by-election is held to fill the vacancy.
“A recall mechanism would give the electorate a democratic avenue to remove a politician and elect a new representative whose policies are more in tune with the needs and wants of their community members,” said Telkwa Mayor Darcy Repen. “It is about municipal politicians being accountable for their actions to the people they are supposed to be serving.”
The idea is being presented at the 2015 Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) convention being held this week - Sept. 21 to 25 - in Vancouver.
“I hope that the UBCM membership sees this resolution as an opportunity to take the lead and demonstrate that they, too, believe in the right of citizens to hold their political representatives accountable for their performance,” said Repen.
According to Repen, extending the terms of office of elected municipal officials to four years provided more opportunity for politicians to achieve their goals. However, if a politician takes a course that is not representative of their constituents’ best interests, a lot of damage can be done in those four years, he said. If endorsed by the UBCM, this resolution will be referred to the provincial government, who would then decide whether to amend the community charter to include a recall mechanism. This new amendment could impact all municipalities in B.C.
Recall legislation already exists in British Columbia to remove members of the legislative assembly (MLAs). In order to remove an MLA, a voter must collect signatures from more than 40 per cent of voters eligible to sign the petition in that electoral district. Applications for recall petitions cannot be submitted to Elections B.C. during the 18 months after the MLA was elected.
In Canada, the recall process is unique to B.C. – no other province or territory has a system in place for removing elected representatives from office between elections. In the United States, recall laws exist in over half of the states.