Recall Rajan Sawhney

Reasons and Source Information for the Recall

The Why Behind the Recall

A recall petition is not undertaken lightly. There is a thorough process that must be completed prior to the petition and a $500 application fee before being reviewed by Elections Alberta, a third party entity.

The recall petition for Rajan Sawhney was launched after her continued decisions to vote against the interests of everyday Albertans. Aligned with the spirit of the Recall Act, passed into law in 2021 by the UCP under Premier Jason Kenney, Hon. Sawhney has “broken faith with the people” and must be held accountable.

In addition to her actions in the Legislative Assembly, many constituents have attempted to contact Ms. Sawhney and express their concerns or opinions. Responses from her office are rare, and responses from Ms. Sawhney herself are almost nonexistent. Phone calls and emails go unanswered, leaving many feeling unheard or unrepresented. Her commitment and respect for her constituents is clearly demonstrated in her Official Member statement submitted to Elections Alberta, with which she couldn't even be bothered to format as a proper letter.

In combination with her decision to support the use of the notwithstanding clause, vote against vital supports needed by Albertans, and other controversial legislation, along with voting along party lines rather than on behalf of her constituents, Calgary North-West is left with one choice to make their voices heard.

Bills that Undermine the Rights and Livelihoods of Albertans Supported by Rajan Sawhney

Bill 40 - Professional Governance Act

Introduced in March 2025, by Sawhney as the Minister of Advanced Education, it will impact 22 professional associations. Scheduled to become law June 2026.

The bill will transfer authority from self-regulating professionals to the UCP government. It's being viewed as a mechanism for increased political control over professions like engineering, scientists, architecture, and accounting. It has the potential to put public safety at risk, if established standards and safeguards are perceived to be impeding UCP projects or policies (ie. cut corners for quick finishes).

It grants explicit power to the UCP Minister of Advanced Education to amend Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Practice Standards and Guidelines, which could include lowering competency guidelines for graduates. This is even more concerning when the Minister does not have any portfolio-related or industry experience. Someone detached from realities of the actual work, makes theoretical decisions and tries to control processes they don't understand.

The bill also prevents professional associations from acting as certified bargaining agents for its members; prohibits members from striking, and removes “whistleblower” and job protections. This impacts their ability to advocate for standards which may be in conflict with UCP policy objectives.

Further Reading:

Bill 13 - Regulated Professions Neutrality Act - “Jordan Peterson Law”

Named for “Jordan Peterson” who notoriously made wildly inappropriate and aggressive/harmful statements, (as judged by the Supreme Court of Canada), while using his title “Clinical Psychologist”.

The bill removes tools regulators use to uphold accountability and address discrimination, because it separates professional Codes of Conduct from public behaviours. This means a professional can now spread misinformation and opinions, which reflect negatively on their profession, without fear of consequence in their licensing. One of the issues here is, the public associates certain roles as “positions of trust”, and some individuals may not be savvy enough to differentiate between statements of personal opinion vs. professional guidance.

The bill creates greater ambiguity in the “fact vs. opinion” environment. It restricts education and training in cultural competency, unconscious bias, diversity, equity and inclusion. Training on political, historical, social or cultural issues is only permissible if directly related to professional competence or ethics.

This opens the door for enabling controversial conduct in areas related to hate speech and gender identity, but also serves to legitimize false narratives and misinformation, particularly with respect to science and medical treatments.

It's being viewed as ideologically driven to target programs the UCP base dislikes, rather than a genuine effort to protect rights.

Further Reading:

Bill 2 — Back to School Act and Use of Notwithstanding Clause

Bill 2 was a rushed bill pushed through in the early hours of October 28 to force striking teachers back to work without good faith negotiations. The provincial government used legislative tools to pass the bill in record time and limit debate on all three stages.

Despite nearly 90% of teachers rejecting the contract offered by the provincial government, citing the need for a cap on overflowing classroom sizes and greater supports for students with special needs, the UCP forced this agreement through the use of the notwithstanding clause. Sawhney was amongst those in favour of using the notwithstanding clause on Bill 2.

Not only does this bill have lasting impacts on all Albertan families with children attending public schools, but it also sets a precedent for the government to use the notwithstanding clause to override all Albertans' constitutional rights and freedoms.

Further Reading:

Bill 12 — Reduced Benefits and Supports for Disabled Albertans

Bill 12 makes significant changes to the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (or AISH) program in Alberta. These changes erode financial support for disabled Albertans at a time when cost of living has continued to increase.

Under the newly proposed program, Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP), a person could receive a maximum of $1,740 per month, compared to $1,901 on AISH. This falls dramatically short of Calgary's reported livable wage for 2025, which is $26.50 an hour assuming full-time employment, or about $4,664 per month.

Hon. Rajan Sawhney voted in favour of this legislation.

Further Reading:

Bill 9 — Use of the Notwithstanding Clause on 3 Laws Impacting Transgender People

On November 18, the Government of Alberta introduced Bill 9, which used the notwithstanding clause to remove protection from the Charter of Rights and Freedoms for up to 5 years on 3 pieces of legislation related to transgender people in Alberta. The UCP determined that using the notwithstanding clause was necessary to “prevent court delays” as the government is currently facing three lawsuits regarding these pieces of legislation.

The 3 pieces of legislation include Bill 26, which bans gender-affirming care for trans youth; Bill 27, which requires parental consent for children to use a preferred name or nickname at school or preferred pronouns; and Bill 29, which permits only athletes designated female at birth to compete in women's sports, including on school teams. Rajan Sawhney was amongst those in favour of Bill 9 and the use of the notwithstanding clause.

In addition to using the notwithstanding clause to push for unconstitutional laws, we have also seen the UCP armed with misinformation regarding these laws. Here are some facts about transgender healthcare and transgender people in Alberta:

UCP Misinformation

“Puberty is the process a child goes through to become sexually mature so they can have babies. Puberty blockers, by very definition, stops that process.” — Danielle Smith

Fact

“(Puberty blockers) don't render a person infertile or sterile. That is not true,” said Dr. Sam Wong, president of the Alberta Medical Association's pediatrics section. “To say that they're sterile is a gross overstatement, because you would never say that a six-year-old is sterile because they can't have children.”

The prescription of puberty blocker for children can be provided in the case of early puberty to delay puberty until the child is old enough. It can also be used to prevent puberty in trans youth until they are old enough to make decisions about their gender identity. Puberty blockers are prescribed alongside medical advice and counselling to ensure the well-being of those undergoing gender-affirming care. (Alberta Medical Association)

UCP Misinformation

The Fairness and Safety in Sport Act (formerly Bill 29) ensures women and girls have the opportunity to compete in biological female-only divisions, while also ensuring transgender athletes are able to meaningfully participate in the sports of their choice. (Alberta Government)

Fact

Under the Act, students wishing to participate in women and girls' sport divisions are required to provide documentation verifying their sex assigned at birth. Schools and sport organizations are distributing forms to parents and guardians that ask them to confirm eligibility under the new law – both adding another barrier against women and girls in sports and outing trans youth and putting this already vulnerable population in harm's way.

The harm doesn't stop there: the Act is enforced under a complaint-based system. If someone questions a participant's eligibility to participate, they can lodge a challenge and the participant will be required to produce a birth registration document to confirm their sex assigned at birth. This means that all girls and young women playing sports in Alberta will be subject to scrutiny of their bodies by adults, in a grotesque violation of their privacy and dignity. (Egale Canada)

Additional Fact

99.63% of Albertans identified as cisgender (the same gender as their biological sex assigned at birth). Legislation against transgender individuals targets less than 1% of the population, which makes all these laws appear performative, rather than address any meaningful or relevant protections for Albertans (and often resulting in harm to 2SLGBTQ+ individuals).

Further Reading:

Bill 11 — Health Statutes Amendment Act, an Attempt to Privatize Healthcare

The continued push by the UCP to privatize our healthcare system puts Albertans at risk. Alberta does not have the medical staff (including nurses and doctors) available to support a fully two-tiered system. The wait times for procedures would not get shorter unless the government includes workforce planning in this legislation, which is currently not accounted for. Beyond these concerns, “None of this was something that Albertans were asked about in an election” meaning that the UCP is pushing for two-tiered healthcare without input from their constituents.

Additionally, the Alberta government is still undergoing harsh criticism for mismanagement of public funds in healthcare across various departments. In 2023, the Alberta government made significant restructuring changes to health care in Alberta, and healthcare workers note that the system is still in “pure chaos” with “no clue what's going on” and no roadmap for the plans forward.

In 2022, when Alberta attempted a switch to privatized community lab services, the private medical testing company DynaLife became insolvent in less than 90 days. It was recently revealed that the Alberta government lost about $109 million dollars of taxpayer money in this attempt to privatize lab services. (CTV News)

Despite this debacle and continued issues with healthcare management, the government pushes forward with its agenda to lean into privatization.

Further Reading:

Bill 202 Conflicts of Interest (Ethical Governance) Amendment Act

Introduced by NDP MLA Kyle Kawasowski, Bill 202 establishes conflict rules, financial reporting and post-employment restrictions for Members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and for political staffers. This act deals with investigations and enforcement.

The purpose of the “No More Sky Boxes” bill was to provide clear rules, stronger oversight, and greater public confidence in how decisions are made, limiting the size of gifts that MLAs can receive without approval from the ethics commissioner. The bill looks for disclosure on any gift over $100 within 15 days. While in office, the UCP government raised the limit on gifts, allowing MLAs to pocket more without public knowledge.

Rajan Sawhney voted against this bill on November 24, 2025.

Further Reading:

Alberta Coal Industry Modernization Initiative

Strictly speaking, this is not a bill, however it is important to note.

The Alberta Coal Industry Modernization Initiative comes as an attempt to compromise between industry demands and the local pushback by Albertans.

In 2020, the UCP moved to scrap the 1976 policy that limited coal development in the Eastern Slopes. They were met with fierce opposition from the public and reinstated the policy in 2021. Now they are back with a “revised” version that aims to make corporations happy without the public backlash.

The Alberta Coal Industry Modernization Initiative demands certain environmental standards be met, unless the projects are deemed “advanced” (CBC News). One of these “advanced” coal projects is the controversial Grassy Mountain, which was blocked by the Alberta Energy Regulator in 2021. Coal companies suing the government for compensation due to lost capital through these flipflopping rules appears to be at the centre of the changes, as the government seeks to avoid paying out damages.

The Alberta Government announced that it would be working directly with industry to develop legislative and regulatory enhancements to the current policy. It does not mention engaging in discussions with Albertans or researchers and environmental scientists to gather an understanding of the impact on those outside of the coal industry.

The plan will be finalized in December 2025, so the proposed changes to legislation should be announced in the coming weeks.

Further Reading:

Bill 18 - Provincial Priorities Act

Implemented 2025 when Sawhney was Minister of Advanced Education.

It allows the UCP control over, and acts as a Gatekeeper for federal funding, including grants to universities/colleges, municipalities, school boards, and health authorities. It centralizes the UCP's power and creates excessive bureaucracy. It has the potential to slow research and threaten academic freedom, because the UCP is deciding which organizations are worthy of funding.

Further Reading: