Recall is a process that lets registered voters petition to remove their MLA from office between elections. British Columbia runs it under the Recall and Initiative Act, and Elections BC administers it. The process applies only to provincial MLAs, so there is no recall for a mayor or a councillor in this province.
Elections BC describes itself as non-partisan on these applications. When an application meets the requirements of the Act, Elections BC must approve it and let the petition proceed, without assessing the reasons given or the likelihood of success.
Who can start a recall petition?
A registered voter in the electoral district can start one. Section 19 of the Recall and Initiative Act lets a registered voter for a district apply to the Chief Electoral Officer for the issue of a petition to recall the member for that district. That person becomes the proponent.
The application has four parts:
- the completed Application for Recall Petition form
- a statement of no more than 200 words setting out why the applicant believes recall is warranted
- an appointment of financial agent, or a statement that the applicant is acting as their own agent
- a non-refundable processing fee of $50
Canvassing is also regulated. Section 22 allows a registered voter to canvass for signatures only after living in British Columbia for at least six months and registering their name and address with the Chief Electoral Officer. Paying or accepting any inducement for canvassing is prohibited.
When can a recall petition be started?
Timing is fixed by statute at both ends. Section 19(4) bars any application during the 18 months following final voting day for the member’s last election, and bars any application during the six months before the next scheduled general election.
For the current Parliament, Elections BC set the opening date accordingly. It began accepting recall petition applications at 8:30 a.m. Pacific time on April 20 2026.
Only one petition can run against a member at a time. Section 20.01 bars the Chief Electoral Officer from issuing a further petition against the same member until the first one has run its course.
What does a recall petition have to achieve?
Two requirements have to be met together. Section 23 requires the petition to be submitted within 60 days after it was issued, and to be signed by more than 40 percent of the people entitled to sign it.
The pool of eligible signers is narrower than the current voters list. Under section 21, a person may sign only if they were a registered voter for that electoral district on final voting day for the member’s last election, and are a registered voter in British Columbia on the day they sign. Each person may sign a given petition once.
Verification follows submission. Section 24 gives the Chief Electoral Officer 42 days to determine whether the petition met the requirements, and Elections BC allows both the proponent and the member two observers during that process.
What happens if a petition succeeds?
The seat becomes vacant immediately. Section 25 provides that where the Chief Electoral Officer determines the petition met the requirements and the proponent complied with the financing rules, the member ceases to hold office and the seat becomes vacant. Elections BC notifies the member and the Speaker.
A by-election follows on a tighter clock than usual. Section 35(4)(b) of the Constitution Act requires the to be issued within 90 days of the Speaker’s warrant reaching the Chief Electoral Officer, rather than the six months that applies to other vacancies.
A recalled member may run in that by-election. Elections BC answers that question directly in its Recall FAQs.
Has a recall petition ever worked in BC?
No recall petition has removed an MLA. Elections BC’s Summary of Recall Petitions lists 31 petitions issued since the Recall and Initiative Act came into force in 1995, and none is recorded as successful.
The failure modes are worth knowing. Most petitions in the summary were never submitted by the deadline. A smaller group was submitted and fell short of the signature threshold. Two were withdrawn.
One case ended differently. Elections BC footnotes that the petition to recall Paul Reitsma, MLA for Parksville-Qualicum, failed as a result of the member’s resignation during petition verification.
The most recent entry is from 2026. A petition against the member for Vancouver-Quilchena was issued on May 21 2026 and was due on July 20 2026. It required 15,232 signatures. Elections BC records 3,663 signatures returned as submitted by the proponent and not verified by Elections BC. It lists the outcome as insufficient signatures.