Harper opts for fast vote in Labrador

Byelection caused by resignation of Tory minister set for May 13

OTTAWA — A federal byelection in Labrador will be held on May 13, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Sunday.

The riding was vacated last month when Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Peter Penashue, the MP for Labrador, resigned his post after acknowledging that his campaign received ineligible donations in the 2011 federal election.

Penashue paid back more than $40,000 and blamed the problems on an inexperienced campaign volunteer.

Penashue is running as the Conservative candidate in the byelection, hoping to regain the seat. He won the riding by a scant 79 votes in the 2011 election over then-Liberal MP Todd Russell.

The Liberal candidate this time around is Yvonne Jones, a longtime member of the provincial legislature. The NDP candidate is Harry Borlase, a researcher and analyst on northern issues.

Joyce Murray, the Liberal leadership candidate who has advocated for co-operation between progressive parties in certain ridings to avoid splitting the non-Conservative vote, said in a release last month that she called Green Leader Elizabeth May and asked the party to consider not fielding a candidate.

The Green party will not be fielding a candidate in the byelection. May urged the NDP to do the same, but the NDP said voters should make the call.

Murray also suggested last month the byelection in Labrador will be a test of such a strategy.

“I have proposed that onetime electoral co-operation in 2015, initiated at the local riding level in ridings where Conservatives won by less than 50 per cent. This byelection affords us the opportunity to show Canadians how it can be done,” she said in the release.

Harper could have waited up to six months after the seat was vacated to call the byelection, but took less than a month to choose the date.

David McGrane, a political studies professor at the University of Saskatchewan, said the timing of the announcement suggests that Harper wants to get the election over with and keep it under the radar.

“Why let a bad news story fester for six months and have Penashue’s name thrown out every time anyone says anything about ethics?” McGrane said. “Whether he wins or loses, they can get it over with quickly.”

He also said Harper might be trying to catch the Liberal party off guard as they concentrate on selecting a new leader. The winner of the Liberal leadership race will be announced April 14.

“You don’t want to give the Liberals a lot of time to organize and get their leader in place,” he said.

The Liberals may not need the time. A Forum Research Inc. poll conducted in Labrador between March 30 and April 2 showed 57 per cent support for Jones, the Liberal candidate. NDP nominee Borlase followed with 21 per cent, and Penashue with 20 per cent.