Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister has dropped another hint of a possible early election by saying the fixed election date of Oct. 6, 2020, is more of a deadline than a date set in stone.
“It isn’t a fixed election date. It’s a drop-dead date,” Pallister said Tuesday when asked about the possibility of an early vote.
“You’ve got to have the election before a year (from) this October. That’s what the rules are.”
Pallister has previously hinted at an early election call. In a year-end interview with The Canadian Press in December, he said the option of going early is an advantage over the opposition that he would not give up.
Pallister’s Progressive Conservatives are already gearing up for a vote.
They have nominated two dozen candidates so far. They also have been raising exponentially more money than the New Democrats and Liberals, who have yet to start their candidate selections.
Political analyst Paul Thomas said Pallister may be tempted to go early to catch the other parties off guard while they are still rebuilding from the 2016 election that saw the Tories end 17 years of NDP government. Recent opinion polls suggest the Tories continue to lead in voter support.
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