Premier Brian Pallister said that he will “for sure” call an election this year.
Pallister has stated that Manitobans don’t want an election during the province’s 150th birthday year. He also said that it wouldn’t make economic sense to mix a campaign into a year of celebration.
The Premier called the October 6, 2020 date a “drop dead” date, rather than a fixed date for a vote.
At one point, Pallister said that he would call an early election if the NDP voted against a proposed PST cut. Both parties reached a compromise and the Opposition pledged its support for the bill.
Pallister has said that he would provide advance notice if an early election is called to both the NDP and the Liberals, not to catch them off guard. He said that he would give a 90-day notice “if possible” without saying what would make giving the notice impossible.
Earlier this month he said his political rivals didn’t need to be tipped off about an early election because the media has already done that.
