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The problem with fixed election date laws in Canada’s parliamentary system is they’re only as good as a sitting government’s commitment to them.

And clearly, Premier Brian Pallister is not committed to Manitoba’s fixed election date.

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In fact, despite the very specific legal language in the province’s Elections Act that a general election “must” be held on a prescribed date, Pallister says Manitoba doesn’t have fixed election legislation. He says it’s not a fixed date at all and reiterated on Monday it’s a “drop-dead” date, which it isn’t. He’s being dishonest with Manitobans.

The act clearly describes the election date as a “fixed date election” in the definition section. It spells out the date of the Oct. 4, 2011 election which it applied to when it was first enacted and says “thereafter, a general election must be held on the first Tuesday in October in the fourth calendar year after election day for the last general election.”