EDIT – Since the publication of this article, MLA Nolan Dyck has provided a statement. We have updated the story to include it.
Frustration and a consistent lack of engagement are reasons said to be behind an application to recall Grande Prairie MLA Nolan Dyck.
Casey Klein is the applicant for the recall; she says it feels as if the MLA is not representing everyone and is unresponsive to those who do not align with the UCP’s agenda. She says that when he voted in favour of the use of the notwithstanding clause in legislation that forced teachers back to work, it was the last straw.
“I had a personal meeting with Nolan for half an hour earlier in the summer, and it went nowhere. [It was] very one-sided,” Klein says. “I had emailed him prior to asking him to reconsider to not do that, and he did.”
Klein says it is disheartening and frustrating to have an MLA support the notwithstanding clause being used against working people, which she says is not what it was meant for.
“Nolan Dyck, he sided with silencing Grande Prairie teachers instead of standing up for their rights.”
“No elected official should endorse stripping away collective bargaining or the right to strike. Nolan chose power over principle, and he betrayed the working class. He betrayed the workers of Grande Prairie.”
According to Klein, she believes people are motivated, and people from across the political spectrum want to be heard. She explains she has talked with those who are politically opposite to her, but are frustrated with the lack of respectful engagement that they are not receiving from the local MLA.
To put in a recall application, there is a $500 fee, with a point person needed to apply for the recall, along with a financial officer. If the application is approved, Elections Alberta will be in charge of submitting the final paperwork. Klein says that $500 application fee could be a barrier for some when it comes to moving forward in the process.
“But, when people are motivated and frustrated, not feeling heard, money isn’t an issue.”
“I had decided to do the recall. I created a Facebook page, and within two days, we had 300 people in there. I asked if anyone was able to contribute, and a friend of mine stepped up as well to help with the $500.”
Klein mailed off the application on Friday and says it was signed for by Elections Alberta on Monday. It is expected to take seven days for a decision on whether an application is approved or not to be made, according to the Elections Alberta website.
Klein says she informed the MLA in an email that she was moving forward with the recall application, telling him that he has “given us no confidence that you’ll ever put the community before your party. The application for the recall petition is the consequence for you refusing to listen.”
In a statement to mygrandeprairienow.com, Dyck acknowledges that he has met with Klein and says he has listened to her concerns in person, adding his office has continued to correspond with her on them.
“Serving the people of Grande Prairie is an honour and responsibility I take very seriously,” Dyck says. “The recall process should not be used to overturn democratic elections just because an individual disagrees with government policy. Recalls are meant to address breaches of trust, serious misconduct, or a sustained failure to represent constituents, not political disagreements.”
He adds that he, along with the UCP caucus, remain focused on standing up for Albertans throw measures that will grow the economy, lower taxes and create opportunities.
