United Conservative Party MLA Angela Pitt has come out against one of her constituents who launched a recall petition to have her removed from office.In an open letter released Wednesday, Pitt — the UCP member for Airdrie-East — accused constituent Derek Keenan of abusing his position as a high school principal to launch a politically motivated petition against her, saying, “it’s time for me to speak directly and plainly on this matter.”.“Every Albertan has the right to express their views,” Pitt said in the letter.“But using a taxpayer-funded position of authority to advance a politically motivated campaign raises concerns about the potential inappropriateness of said campaign. At its core, this effort isn't about accountability; it never was. It's about politics, plain and simple.”Pitt is currently one of two UCP MLAs facing a recall petition, with the other being Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides.The two petitions came about after Premier Danielle Smith’s government passed a bill ordering 51,000 teachers back to work after a strike that lasted three weeks and imposed a labour contract that the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) had previously rejected.Smith’s government also came under widespread criticism from labour groups and other critics for invoking the Canadian Charter’s notwithstanding clause to shield the bill from legal challenge.In the recall petition filed on Oct. 22 with Elections Alberta by Keenan, he stated that Pitt’s actions “have eroded public trust and suggest she prioritizes personal agendas over the needs of her constituents.”Pitt said the government’s decision to use the notwithstanding clause was not taken lightly but was “necessary.”“Children have a right to learn, and that right cannot be held hostage to alternate agendas,” Pitt stated.“While I recognize that concerns about classroom complexities remain, funding for new schools and plans to hire more teachers and educational assistants have been approved. Six new schools are coming to Airdrie, but schools cannot be built overnight. Remaining on strike would not have solved this matter; it would have only deepened the harm being done to students.”.Smith monitors rising recall petitions, eyes procedural changes.Pitt also said that while dissent is a vital part of a functioning democracy, the government did not “introduce the Recall Act to be weaponized by political activists who disagree with government policy.”“This Act is intended to address serious matters such as proven ethical misconduct or a sustained failure to represent constituents,” she said.Keenan told the Canadian Press that his petition is not about the teacher dispute and that his role as a school principal is something he hasn’t been advertising in an effort to avoid the political nature it would imply.“This is about her representation of our constituency and the beliefs of our constituency, and the lack of communication we’ve experienced over time,” he stated.Keenan said he thought the reference to his job that Pitt had made was an attempt to discredit the local community’s larger concerns.“Ultimately, I am not worried about it because I do stand on my record as a principal in what I do,” Keenan said.Keenan’s petition needs to gather enough signatures to represent 60% of the total number of people who voted in the riding in the 2023 election.If the petition is successful and the signatures are validated, a vote would be held within four months in that riding.If more than half of the voters cast a ballot to remove Pitt, then she would be unseated as a member of the legislature.
