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Pallister knocks timing of cash

By: Katherine Dow

Friday, Aug. 3, 2012 at 8:25 AM | Comments: 2

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Brian Pallister

MANITOBA'S new Progressive Conservative leader, Brian Pallister, is calling the timing of an NDP announcement of provincial child-care funding a "selfish kind of politics."

Pallister reprimanded the party after provincial Labour Minister Jennifer Howard on Thursday announced funding of 20 preschool and 45 school-age child-care spaces at Whyte Ridge Child Care.

Pallister claimed the timing of the announcement is "more than coincidental," saying the NDP held a nomination meeting the night before the announcement.

The meeting will determine who will run for the vacant seat in Fort Whyte, the riding where the Whyte Ridge area falls.

"They've had 13 years to address this issue and they choose the day after their nomination meetings," Pallister said. "The issue isn't the expansion of child-care spaces at all; the issue is the timing of the announcement, mere hours after the nomination meeting in the same area."

Although NDP provincial secretary Nanci Morrison said she couldn't comment on the timing of any announcements, she corrected Pallister, saying the nomination meeting was scheduled for Thursday night.

"Government announcements have nothing to do with the provincial party," said Morrison.

Fort Whyte is the former constituency of Hugh McFadyen, who resigned as MLA and PC party leader effective last Monday.

McFadyen won the seat for the second consecutive time in 2011 with 5,594 votes, more than double the votes of his NDP competition, Sunny Dhaliwal, who earned 2,655.

The Tories have held the Fort Whyte riding since 1995.

Pallister is expected to run for the seat when a byelection is called, though he wouldn't confirm an announcement yet.

"The point of the conversation today is to point out that the integrity of Manitobans isn't up for sale. This is an example of the old-fashioned way of doing things, where you try and buy people with a public-policy announcement of some kind, and I suppose in my view, Manitobans are on to this technique," said Pallister.

katherine.dow@freepress.mb.ca

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August 6, 2012 at 8:51 PM

With all due respect to Mr. Pallister, what piffle! Politicians always time announcements with regard to obtaining advantage; he would do the same given a similar opportunity. It takes the the worst sort of hypocrite to attempt to convince us otherwise. It is high time the NDP, Tories and anyone else not currently leading the province started coming up with good, viable and affordable alternatives instead of whining and carping about petty election tactics. How does this complaint serve anyone but himself? -- and yet Mr. Pallister has the gall to point fingers and call other people selfish! Start doing things that serve the interests of the people first, and that will serve them well, and maybe I will find cause to change my opinion.

Posted by:turtles back

August 5, 2012 at 9:15 PM

I hope Pallister has the guts to call the NDP liars. If he does, there will be lots of Manitobans will to vote for him in the Provincial elections when they roll around.

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