Manitobans will choose their next provincial government without knowing the financial health of its two largest Crown corporations.

The publication of the annual reports for Manitoba Hydro and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries have been delayed several weeks and won't be available until after the Sept. 10 election.

Hydro sent its annual report to the minister for Crown services in late July.

A spokesperson for the provincial government says the annual reports will remain unpublished until after the election because of Manitoba's laws.

"Section 92(1) of The Election Financing Act (EFA) restricts departments and Crown agencies, such as Manitoba Hydro, from publishing or advertising information about their programs and activities during the election period," wrote the spokesperson in an email.

The annual reports, which provide a detailed review of the fiscal position of both companies, are typically released in late–July or August.

Political scientist Paul Thomas says voters should know how major Crown corporations are doing before an election. (CBC)

University of Manitoba political studies professor emeritus Paul Thomas says voters should know what's happening at the province's major Crown companies before they vote.

"The state of health of a major Crown corporation that drives the economy and employs thousands of Manitobans in very good paying jobs is not an area that should be shrouded in secrecy. It should be open to public examination," Thomas said.

Part of the problem, says Thomas, who once chaired Manitoba Telecom Services, is legislation that has fallen behind the standards in other provinces.

"Things get caught up in this antiquated piece of legislation that you might expect should be out there — should be available to voters. It's part of the context in which the election is being fought and voters should be entitled to as much information as possible about how well things are going in government," Thomas told CBC News.

The bulk of the Act currently in force was brought into effect by the NDP in 2013.

PCs considered changes to Act months ago

The PC government received a report last January from Winnipeg lawyer Michael Green, a former commissioner of elections for Elections Manitoba, reviewing the blackout law and offering recommendations on potential changes.

Green's report suggested the government develop a new policy around the blackout rules instead of creating new laws or amending the old ones. The Tories never tabled the legislative changes they proposed to the Elections Financing Act

The blackout on government communications has sparked controversy in the current election.

The Tories argued the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority shouldn't be restrained from releasing data during an election campaign period, but the Liberals refused to agree, saying it would break blackout rules in place during an election period.

Last reports show Hydro deep in debt-losing money

The last quarterly report from Hydro, released in December 2018, showed a loss of $1 million and a long term debt of just over $20.5 billion.

Liquor and Lotteries had a much rosier third quarter result. It had an income of just over $491 million dollars over expenses and a long-term debt of just over $303 million.

Hydro is mired in debt that is expected to go deeper as expenses for it's Keeyask dam project and the Manitoba– Minnesota transmission line continue to mount.

The company has also shed hundreds of jobs in recent years.

Parties weigh in on a fix

The Progressive Conservatives referred to a statement made by Cliff Cullen, as a minister, earlier this year.

"We would be willing to amend the legislation to bring greater clarity and ensure everyone understands what the rules are. As we've said before, it's about achieving the right balance between providing the public with the information they need, while making sure government advertising is non-partisan around election time."

The Liberals say the PCs had a chance to change the rules before the election but didn't follow up.

"The PCs had many opportunities to change the disclosure law, but didn't. There is a bigger problem here that the government is able to make significant changes under cover of darkness and the entire government is prohibited from discussing it," Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont wrote in a statement.

Green Party Leader James Beddome wrote to CBC News saying the rules "have needed to be amended and improved for several elections now."

Beddome says he met with PC Leader Brian Pallister at one point and asked him to fix the rules around blackouts.

"I encouraged him to make those needed changes to the Election Financing Act with respect to the blackout period. Unfortunately, Mr. Pallister chose to disrespect democracy, and to call an unneeded election, rather than fixing laws that needed fixing," Beddome said

The NDP sent a statement saying it "believes annual reports should be public," and inferred a lack of information on the Crown corporations was part of a PC plan to privatize the companies.

Michael Green, in his report on changing the rules about blackouts, said he received submissions from the Liberal Party, but never heard back from the NDP, despite asking for their feedback.