The recall campaign to oust Burnaby North MLA Richard Lee has ended because organizers couldn’t get enough signatures.
Burnaby teacher Jennifer Heighton told the NOW B.C. Citizens for Recall was unable to meet the threshold by the June 15 deadline - 40 per cent of registered voters within a 60 day period (about 16,500 signatures).
“That’s a huge number to get in 60 days, especially when you’re a grassroots group and there’s challenges like you can’t go into apartment buildings or condos,” she said. “A lot of times people weren’t home.”
Heighton added voter apathy was another road block.
“A lot of them said, ‘I don’t vote, so I’m not going to sign,’” she said. “This is something that really has to be dealt with. Our apathy out there is still running strong. … If we could solve the apathy problem, if we could get 100 per cent of the population to care about what our politicians are doing, I think 40 per cent wouldn’t be too high.”
The Coquitlam resident also argued having a lower threshold, perhaps one that extends 90 days, could have helped with the end result.
The total number of people who signed on the dotted line to remove Lee from office, meanwhile, won’t be disclosed for “strategic purposes” and to avoid tipping off the Liberal camp.
If the grassroots group had garnered enough support, Elections B.C. would have had 42 days to verify the signatures, ensuring those who signed were registered voters in the riding during the last provincial election. If successful, the campaign would have triggered a by-election and Lee would have been entitled to run for the same seat he’s held since 2001.
Issues that sparked the recall, Heighton said, included the province’s high rates of child poverty, education funding and the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion project. The biggest issue people identified with, however, was the lack of funding for Burnaby General Hospital.
“That’s the one thing they were most frustrated about when we talked to them at the door and at the tables. They would tell us their stories and some of them are just heartbreaking,” she added.
Overall, there were 90 registered canvassers under the B.C. Citizens Recall banner, which had a budget of less than $1,000 to cover the cost of printing materials.
“If someone were to try another recall, they would need hundreds, literally hundreds of canvassers. There were several areas of the riding we weren’t able to cover,” noted Heighton.
Even though the target wasn’t met, the local teacher said she’s pleased to have taken part in the democratic process, and that for her personally, success can be measured in other ways.
“We managed to raise awareness of what a MLA is supposed to do and hold him accountable. The (recall process) has legislation to how it’s run, so it actually does have the power to create change.”
Calls to Lee's office for comment were not returned.
-with files from Jennifer Moreau
