As part of the first day of official campaigning of the Manitoba election, Progressive Conservative leader Brian Pallister bought up promises broken in the past by the ruling NDP party, and insurance got a look-in.
A press release from the party sent out the same day recounted that “The NDP leader promised before the 2011 election that any notion of raising the PST was ‘nonsense’ and ‘ridiculous,’” before the ruling party then broadened the PST to include home insurance and benefits at work, and extended it to other goods and services in 2012. The following year the PST was given a bump, taking it to 8% up from 7%.”
The Tory leader – himself a one-time insurance man – announced his plans to drop the PST back down by a percentage point at an event held, coincidentally, at the same moment the Manitoba premier was at the legislative building, in the process of asking the province’s Lieutenant-Governor to call the April 19 election.
"This is just one way that Manitobans, who have grown tired of paying more and getting less under the Selinger NDP, will see a change for the better," Pallister said at his PST announcement.
Pallister’s insurance company is now part of HUB, who purchased the shares of the company back in 2013.
