Premier Brian Pallister has been spending a lot of time recently in rural Manitoba, and he’s talking like an election isn’t too far away.

The Conservatives are busy holding founding and nomination meetings. While in Boissevain last Wednesday for the Turtle Mountain meeting, Pallister used the opportunity to talk about what the government has done, and is doing, to reduce the deficit and get back toward running a balanced budget.

He pointed to having more trained paramedics in rural Manitoba as one step in the right direction. “You don’t need an excuse when you have an accident on your farm or your business, you need people there, and we hiring more people to give those services, and help stabilize those patients to make sure people get the care they need.”

Brian Pallister says he understands what rural residents face, because he is a rural Manitoban.

Meanwhile, a promised education review is coming in 2019,  and that’s something Brian Pallister hopes people participate in over the coming months.

“It has been 50 years since the last review, and our system needs to be improved. it’s important because we have to do a better job, as we are 10th out of 10 when it comes to outcomes for our kids in school, and we have to do better on that.”