The Opposition Tories threw a curveball at the governing Liberals in the House of Assembly on Monday, proposing a fixed date for the next general election.

The private member’s resolution will be introduced Wednesday and calls for the election to be held in late October of next year.

PC Government House Leader David Brazil says the proposal has everything to do with the health and safety of the public, citing the recent COVID-19 case in Deer Lake during the byelection campaign.

He dismissed any suggestion that delaying the election till next October is a political move, with the Tories currently far behind in the polls, saying it should be safer to vote next year when more is known about COVID-19 and there could even be a vaccine in place.

Meanwhile, it’s now known that the man who died last week had a pre-existing condition and only tested positive for the virus after his death.

Health Minister John Haggie also apologized for any miscommunication with the media regarding that case, noting staff have a fine line to walk in disseminating information while at the same time protecting and respecting people’s privacy.