Premier Pallister hints at fall election

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This article was published 23/05/2019 (1798 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRANDON — Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister offered up more hints that he will call a provincial election later this fall during a media scrum in Brandon on Friday morning.

“It’s probably at some point, later in the year, but prior to our 150th Birthday year,” Pallister told media during a scrum that followed an announcement of new paramedics for Prairie Mountain Health.

Earlier this week, Pallister agreed with National Post columnist John Ivison that, given the federal vote in October, he was left with holding a provincial election in November or September, should he follow through with his stated intention of not holding an election during Manitoba’s 150th birthday in 2020.

“Yes, it has to be one of those two,” Pallister told Ivison in agreement.

When pressed by the Brandon Sun and CBC following this morning’s announcement, however, the premier remained evasive about the timing, and appeared to walk back the comments he had made to the National Post columnist. In repeated questions from reporters to clarify his comments, the premier refused to offer any specifics.

Instead, he said that Manitobans “deserve a chance to decide who governs them,” suggested that his government had completed the “vast majority of things we promised to do,” and that it was his intention to “play by the rules.”

“The intent is not to call a snap election, not to surprise anyone,” Pallister said. “And I think it would be awfully hard for political opponents to argue that they haven’t had a heads up. In fact both the Liberal leader and the NDP leader have said their election machines are gearing up and they’re ready now.

When asked whether the election was coming in the fall or the spring, he again muddied the waters.

“Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.”

And when asked to clarify what he meant, he said:

“You just offered greater clarity than I have. I have to give you credit for that. I think in due course Manitobans will have the chance … I play by the rules and I will continue to do that.”

The premier has previously stated he would give opposition parties advance notice of an early election. But on Friday morning, in spite of his assurance there would be no snap election, he criticised the NDP’s state of campaign readiness, suggesting the Official Opposition has had ample time to prepare.

“As I listen to some of the objections of the NDP, they’ve now got the subsidy that they wanted. We agreed to give them the rebate they were counting on. If they’re not ready at this point, I would just have to observe that if they can’t even organize their own political campaign or their own political party, that’s not a very good indication of their ability to work for the benefit of Manitobans.”

» mgoerzen@brandonsun.com

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