British Columbia

Recall against B.C. legislative member fails over missed deadline: Elections B.C.

The British Columbia recall petition launched against Harwinder Sandhu, the member of the legislature for Vernon-Monashee, has failed.

Recall petition against Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu was not submitted by deadline

A woman wearing a brown blazer and white blouse takes a selfie.
Harwinder Sandhu, the MLA for Vernon-Monashee, in an undated photo. (Harwinder Sandhu/Twitter)

A recall petition launched against a B.C. MLA has failed, according to Elections B.C.

A statement from the office on Wednesday said the recall petition against Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu was not submitted by the Oct. 11 deadline under the Recall and Initiative Act.

Genevieve Ring, who lives in Sandhu's riding, was issued the petition and 28 voters registered as canvassers to collect signatures. 

Ring said Sandhu should be recalled because she is part of the NDP government that has failed residents of B.C. on the critical issues of COVID-19 and health care.

Ring said she was not prepared to wait for the next election scheduled for the fall of 2024 to see changes made to improve health care.

Despite the petition's failure, Elections B.C. said the recall proponent must return the petition sheets even though signature counts won't be released or verified.

Both Ring and Sandhu must file financial disclosure reports to the chief electoral officer by Nov. 8.

Of the 27 recall petitions issued since the law came into force in 1995, Elections B.C. says none have met the requirements of the act.