Recall petition process of Independent BC MLA Tara Armstrong put to rest

A petition process has been put to rest in connection to the recall of Independent MLA for the Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream riding, Tara Armstrong. 

Armstrong was first elected as a member of the Conservative Party of BC, but resigned from the party to sit as an Independent after fellow Conservative MLA Dallas Brodie was ejected from the party for her controversial and harmful views of residential school survivors. 

Together, Armstrong and Brodie formed the far-right political party OneBC. In December 2025, she left OneBC to sit as an Independent once again. 

Shortly after her departure, a recall campaign was launched to have Armstrong removed from office. 

Now, in an open letter to the MLA, one organizer of the recall campaign, John Plant, has announced the campaign is being put to rest for the time being.

BC’s recall process requires signatures from 40% of an electoral district’s registered voters within 60 days. 

In the open letter, Plant noted that Armstrong herself was elected with just over 30% of the vote, meaning the threshold for recalling her is a higher bar than she was able to meet by getting elected. 

For this reason, Plant and the rest of the campaign to recall Armstrong are calling into question whether BC’s 40% threshold is effective and fair, or whether it is set so high that it is effectively unusable regardless of how badly an MLA has failed their constituents. 

Since its passing in 1994, no MLA has ever been successfully recalled under BC’s current recall law.

Though the campaign to recall Armstrong has been put to rest for now, the campaign organizers say they are still determined to have her removed. 

“We are not attached to how Tara Armstrong’s time in this seat ends,” said Plant. “We are attached to ending her hope of reelection.” 

“Whether or not we ever file a petition, the scrutiny does not end. That kind of tenacity is what actually gets someone like her out of power, not a 60 day window.”

The open letter 

The open letter written by Plant and his co-organizers details Armstrong’s record since taking office in June 2025. 

The letter draws attention to matters such as Armstrong having used the phrase “blood and soil,” a known Nazi slogan, on the floor of the legislature to attack a First Nations treaty. 

Following this incident, the Speaker of the House deemed the language inappropriate and unacceptable inside the chamber. 

However, Armstrong has also uttered the phrase in a video she posted to social media, where as of this publication, it remains live. 

The letter also seeks to hold Armstrong accountable for her actions and statements that have  targeted Indigenous rights, trans youth and immigrants. 

The recall campaign organizers say her values have been misaligned with her constituents, and that the official campaign has received an outpouring of support from both left- and right-leaning voters in the riding.

The letter included quotes from her constituents in opposition to her as their MLA. 

“This is not who I voted for. I voted Conservative and Ms. Armstrong has turned out to be something else,” said Stephen C. of Coldstream. 

“Frankly, I feel betrayed. She has abused my trust in the political system.”

“I do not believe Tara represents me as a mixed race constituent nor that she has the best interest of her constituents in mind,” said Leslie J. of Kelowna. 

“Her only concern seems to be pushing her own hateful agenda and I have yet to see her do any meaningful work for the issues she campaigned on.” 

See the full open letter online, here. 

Despite the campaign not succeeding in recalling Armstrong, Plant and the rest of his organizers say they remain committed to continuing to provide the riding with updates on Armstrong’s record for as long as she holds the seat.

They added another recall petition will be launched when organizers believe it will succeed.