'I will not be intimidated': B.C. MLA facing recall petition from anti-mandate crowd
An NDP MLA from B.C.'s Southern Interior is facing a recall petition spearheaded by constituents who are frustrated by the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The target of the campaign, Harwinder Sandhu, a nurse who represents the Vernon-Monashee riding, told CTV News she stands by the province's efforts to protect the public during the global health crisis.
"I will not be intimidated by a small group of extreme activists that do not represent the vast majority of people in Vernon-Monashee," Sandhu wrote in a statement.
"I will continue working every day to stand up for what's right and to make life better for the people I represent."
For the petition to be successful, and for Sandhu to lose her seat in the legislature, campaigners will have to collect signatures from 40 per cent of eligible constituents in her riding within a 60-day window that begins on Aug. 12.
To be eligible, a constituent must have been registered to vote at the time of the last provincial election in October 2020.
The woman who filed the petition, Vernon resident Genevieve Ring, told CTV News she feels confident her campaign will meet the threshold of 21,268 signatures in time.
"I'm telling you, there are a lot of people who are fed up," Ring said. "A lot of people lost their jobs, a lot of people lost their savings."
Ring said she's opposed to the government mandates brought in to protect people from COVID-19, and particularly against masking in public schools, which she described as an "attack" on children that she believes caused them lasting psychological harm.
While Sandhu was not personally responsible for those public health decisions, Ring said their local representative "did nothing to help” push back against the policies, which were similar to those implemented in many jurisdictions across Canada.
Ring noted her campaign will be supported by Jeff Gaudry, an anti-mandate activist who drove to Ottawa in support of the Freedom Convoy and who has been an outspoken critic of pandemic restrictions.
The bar for launching an official recall petition through Elections B.C. is very low, requiring only that an applicant provide a $50 fee and a statement of no more than 200 words explaining their reasoning.
In a news release confirming the recall petition against Sandhu, Elections B.C. noted that applications "must be approved if these legislated criteria are met."
"Elections B.C. does not have discretion to evaluate applications on any other criteria," it read.
Since the province's Recall and Initiative Act came into effect in 1995, there have been 26 recall petitions issued, and only six were subsequently returned for verification of the signatures.
Of those, five were found to be lacking the minimum number of signatures required – and the sixth was "halted during the verification process because the (MLA) resigned," according to Elections B.C.
Correction
A previous version of this story indicated Jeff Gaudry flew to Ottawa to support the Freedom Convoy, but he drove there.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
ArriveCan contractor to be admonished by MPs in extraordinarily rare parliamentary display
Enacting an extraordinarily rarely used parliamentary power, MPs have summoned an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon to be admonished publicly for failing to answer their questions.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archeological site in southwest France.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s sons have released a single together
A new Lennon and McCartney collaboration is the last thing anybody expected.