When ophthalmologist John Bayne became upset over changes proposed for the Delta Hospital in Delta, BC, he didn't respond with a simple letter to his MLA. Instead, he tried to remove her from office.
If Bayne's campaign to oust Liberal MLA Valerie Roddick in a recall campaign had been successful, it would have marked the first time a Canadian politician was forced to give up office in this way. The campaign, which received lots of publicity but failed to gain sufficient voter support, was made possible by the province's recall legislation, which is unique in the Commonwealth.
Under legislation introduced in 1994, a recall campaign can begin 18 months after a provincial election. Verified signatures from at least 40% of registered voters must be collected within 60 days — there are no other criteria. Bayne's recall petition stated: “Valerie Roddick has failed to represent her constituents and should be recalled.”
Roddick blames fearmongering and misinformation for the campaign, which can be traced to a “Save Delta Hospital” movement launched in January 2002 in response to rumours of “enormous changes” at the hospital. Administrators had to provide cost savings in their hospitals, and the most contentious issue was a leaked proposal to close the Delta Hospital's emergency department at night. A “revolving door” of CEOs and the imposition of a new health authority “added to the fear and the pressure,” Roddick says.
In the end, the recall effort failed when many of the signatures collected by Bayne and his supporters proved impossible to confirm. In all, 3169 signatures were rejected, and the accepted total of 9999 voters fell well short of the 40% requirement. Roddick says recall organizers wanted the hospital “to stay exactly the same as it was. I've said all along that there isn't going to be one, single hospital in the whole province that will remain static.” — Heather Kent, Vancouver