Leading the recall petition was an inspiring and humbling experience. This petition brought together hundreds of volunteers, thousands of passionate advocates, and gathered 72,271 signatures from ordinary Calgarians. In the snow and in the rain these people set up tables on street corners, in parking lots, at pubs, and in their own homes. I met everyone from 50 year political veterans to young moms getting involved for the first time and the thing that surprised me is that they all had a different reason for getting involved. As the reasons for signing climbed into the hundreds, one common theme arose
“the decisions being made at city hall are making my life worse”.
I was told that it felt like the government is acting against the people and not on their behalf. People cited blanket rezoning, increased taxes, the single use bag bylaw, the climate emergency, safety, rude and condescending councillors, and hundreds of other reasons for signing the petition. People described feeling like there was nothing they could do to protect themselves from this government and an agenda they didn’t agree to, that this petition was the only avenue for them to stand up for themselves and tell city hall “no”.
But the most important lesson I learned from the recall petitions, is that Calgarians care. They are proud of their city, they are proud of the communities they’ve built, they are proud of the lives they’ve created for themselves and their families, and all they want to do is protect that.
