Election ‘horrible’ way to spoil a party
Premier touts early election to preserve province's 150th birthday bash, but business community isn't so sure
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/04/2019 (1806 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Premier Brian Pallister says it would be “a horrible thing” to interrupt Manitoba’s 150th birthday celebrations next year by holding a provincial election.
Speaking to a business crowd of 350 people on Thursday, the premier used his strongest language yet to suggest he will call an election this year, despite the fact that under Manitoba law, except under unusual circumstances, the province’s next election would be held Oct. 6, 2020.
Pallister said “next year is not good” for an election. He said “many Manitobans” have told him they don’t think it’s right to do so.
“There are dozens and dozens of events planned. Most of them have government money helping,” he told Manitoba Chambers of Commerce president and CEO Chuck Davidson in a question-and-answer session following a speech at a chamber breakfast event.
“Would you like your politicians to go… and use our birthday as a grandstand to promote their political career? Or would you prefer that we just have a party and celebrate our 150th without all the politics dividing us?”
He said holding an election in the midst of the celebrations doesn’t make economic sense and “it doesn’t make any, frankly, ethical sense either.”
Pallister suggested that the 90-day blackout period for government promotion and advertising that precedes a fixed-date election would harm Manitoba’s big bash next year because the government could not spend money on promotions during that period.
“Ask yourself if that’s a smart economic move,” he said. “It isn’t. It will be a horrible thing to do to interrupt a party that only happens, what, every 150 years?”
An election would interfere with the legislative building’s centennial celebrations, Pallister suggested.
Davidson, however, wasn’t convinced by the premier’s arguments.
“I still think we can do it (the election) in 2020,” he told Pallister in front of the business crowd. “That’s my opinion.”
Asked afterwards if there was any appetite in the business community for an election this year, Davidson replied: “I’m not hearing it. No one has been coming to the Manitoba chamber saying ‘we need an election now.’”
Manitoba’s opposition leaders weren’t swayed by the premier’s latest arguments.
“We have the 100th anniversary of the (Winnipeg) General Strike this year. I don’t know if we can do an election in that period,” the NDP’s Wab Kinew quipped.
Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont questioned the premier’s argument that an election next year would harm the 150th anniversary celebrations or hurt the economy.
“It’ll make no difference (to the celebrations) and (have) no impact on the economy,” he said. “He’s been scrambling to come up with some justification to call an election early when there is no justification.”
larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
Larry Kusch
Legislature reporter
Larry Kusch didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life until he attended a high school newspaper editor’s workshop in Regina in the summer of 1969 and listened to a university student speak glowingly about the journalism program at Carleton University in Ottawa.
History
Updated on Saturday, April 20, 2019 10:12 AM CDT: Final