Pallister suggests election speculation is ample notice of potential early vote

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister suggested his political rivals don't need to be tipped off about an imminent election because the speculation does the job for him. 

Pallister was responding on Thursday to a question from Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont, who jokingly asked how the premier's time in sports has enticed him to dismiss the fixed election date of Oct. 6, 2020.

"I don't think that the member opposite could argue he hasn't been given a heads-up," Pallister told question period.

"That's one of the reasons that you want to have that legislation, I suppose, to make sure that opposition parties are ready. It would be on him and the Opposition leader to get their parties ready."

'One couldn't argue'

The premier has insisted he would provide advance notice of a snap election to the Liberals and NDP, so as not to take advantage of any unpreparedness on their part. Pallister explained he would provide a 90-day notice "if possible," but never shared why he wouldn't. 

In speaking with reporters afterwards, Pallister repeated his claim that "ample notice will always be given."

"I would not try to quick-pitch anybody. I haven't done that in sport and I'm not going to do it in politics," he said.

"I've already committed to making sure that there's ample time for every political organization to prepare, and certainly one couldn't argue, given the spec[ulative] election coverage that has occurred over the last number of weeks and months, that there wasn't a heads-up given some time ago to these political organizations."

New developments in the early election saga have come in dribs and drabs, ever since Pallister said in an interview late last year he's been in sports too long to relinquish any advantage he's had.

You're put in an impossible situation as a public servant, Madam Speaker, in the sense that if you go to them, you're accused of doing the wrong thing.- Brian Pallister

Pallister openly hinted he could drop the writ well before the 2020 election date, which he has previously said is a "drop-dead" date, rather than a fixed date for a vote.

He suggested at one point he might go early if the NDP votes against the legislation including the PST cut.

More recently, he's said Manitobans don't want an election during the province's sesquicentennial year, and later said it wouldn't make economic sense to interrupt the year of celebrations with campaigning.

He repeated the Manitoba 150 argument on Thursday in the Legislature, while saying his party shouldn't exploit the advantages it has as a sitting government. 

Pallister said there will be dozens of events and "you're put in an impossible situation as a public servant, Madam Speaker, in the sense that if you go to them, you're accused of doing the wrong thing," he said.

"It's most certain that [Lamont] has the obligation to get his party ready and he needs to accept that challenge."

The Liberals have nominated three incumbent candidates — Lamont, Jon Gerrard and Cindy Lamoureux. Elections Manitoba does not record those nominations on its website, but paperwork has already been filed for 36 Progressive Conservative candidates and 14 from the NDP.