The Tory campaign team has been working at a grinding pace in the last week. In one day, for example, Murray was on a television show first thing in the morning, then made an announcement at 10 a.m., followed by lunch at the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce debate, and then whisking away to head off to Brandon for another debate. The crew returned to the city around 11:30 p.m. following the Brandon debate. Whew!

At a Tory announcement behind the legislature, PC leader Stuart murray was interrupted by protester Naomi Spence with Maamaa Aski Echimo (Mother Earth Story). Spence asks about the Forks hotel; Murray says he believes there is a process in place to deal with peoples' concerns, and says he believes in that process. However, he also asked if he could make arrangements to meet with Spence to hear her concerns.

After announcing the Tories would fix an election date so Manitobans would vote on the same day every four years, Murray was vague on picking the actual date, saying he would take it to Manitobans and joking that he knew journalists like to golf and wouldn't want to take away from the golf game.

He was asked, if summer is no good because of golf, and spring is no good because farmers are seeding, while in the fall they are harvesting, and in the winter it's minus 40 and there is the holiday season – when would you propose this vote? One week in June, one in November? Murray would only repeat that he would consult Manitobans about the date.

• Which debate do you plan to attend? •

Murray was asked to attend a number debates. He attended one at the Assiniboia Chamber of Commerce debate starting at at 7:30 a.m. and ending around 9, but passed on one at 10 a.m. at NCI. Instead, a designate called in from the Lac du Bonnet constituency. Murray couldn't say why he didn't phone in his portion of the NCI debate, if the distance between the two debates was an issue – or why he didn't tape his answers to the questions in advance, since each politician would be given two minutes to answer each question.

Everyone in the station was buzzing about why Murray didn't appear; even some callers made mention of it. Former PC Premier Gary Filmon had refused a similar debate in the 1999 election.