Alberta Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation RJ Sigurdson, was one of 26 Members of Legislative Assembly who were faced with a recall petition.
On February 27, it was announced the recall was unsuccessful. Elections Alberta completed petition verification for seven petitions, and it was confirmed there were insignificant signatures to meet the required thresholds and the verification count ended.
Sigurdson is the MLA for Highwood in southern Alberta. For his recall petition to pass, canvassers were required to gather 15,788 signatures.
Read Also
Roots of Resilience: The 50-year evolution of Shipwheel Cattle Feeders
Alberta’s Shipwheel Cattle Feeders is one of Canada’s pioneers in holistic regenerative agricultural practices.
A successful recall petition must meet or exceed at least 60 per cent of the total number of votes cast in the most recent election. In the 2023 provincial election, 26,314 votes were cast in Highwood.
Molly Metcalf, a constituent in Highwood, started the recall petition. She and her canvassers began collecting signatures November 25, 2025, and had to stop collecting them February 22, 2026.
Metcalf, a teacher, was frustrated because Sigurdson had supported the Notwithstanding Clause to order striking teachers back to work.
She and her husband tried contacting Sigurdson in 2023 but received no response. They tried to contact him several times in 2025.
When she saw others expressing frustration about him on Facebook, she was able to run a GoFundMe to raise the $500 needed for the recall petition application fee. Metcalf completed the Application for Recall Petition and Notice of Recall Petition and submitted everything on November 3, 2025.
Sigurdson wrote a statement to Gordon McClure, the Chief Electoral Officer of Elections Alberta. He wrote he supported action to balance children’s rights to education and wanted to ensure students returned to school as quickly as possible. He wrote he was committed to constituents and attended meetings, events and public forums, and responded to emails.
“My priority continues to be the well-being and future of our children, community and my Ministerial duty to farmers,” he wrote.
Since the recall petition has not passed, all copies of the petition and canvasser identification documents must be returned to Elections Alberta, and other steps will be taken to finish the failed recall petition.
Nine recall petitions for MLAs across the province have not gathered adequate signatures, and two recall petitions have been withdrawn.
