Inside Politics

Peter Penashue and the Mystery of the Moribund Riding Association

by Kady O'Malley Posted: August 14, 2012 3:30 PM Last Updated: August 14, 2012 3:39 PM
It appears that Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Peter Penashue isn't yet prepared to clear up the confusion that continues to swirl around the financing of his 2011 election campaign -- well, not on camera, at least, judging from his reaction to being buttonholed by CBC reporter Peter Cowan caught up with him at a meeting of the Atlantic Conservative caucus: 

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So, to recap, "they" -- his election team, presumably -- "worked very hard in this campaign, have "made a submission to Elections Canada, and are working with Elections Canada to rectify any errors that they may have made." Which, to be fair, is an answer, if not one directly pertinent to the questions he was being asked.

While we wait, ever hopeful, for a more informative answer to be forthcoming from the minister, here's an overview of the election finance report at the centre of the current controversy, courtesy of the Elections Canada database:

 

It's worth noting that those numbers stand in sharp contrast to those included in the annual financial reports filed by Penashue's home riding association.

Over the last five years, the Labrador Conservative Association took in a grand total of $25,425 -- virtually all of which was collected via transfers from either the party or other EDAs. 

   


The lone individual contributor to the Labrador Conservative Association wasn't even a local.

According to the filing, George McFarlane, who donated $300 to the association on July 19, 2011, hails from Manotick, a small community on the outskirts of Ottawa. (By comparison, Penashue's campaign collected over $54,000 in donations from 157 contributors.)

In any case, given the lacklustre state of the local federal Conservative fundraising machine before -- and, judging from the 2011 return, even after -- the riding finally managed to elect an MP, it will be fascinating to see whether Penashue has, indeed, managed to pay off that $25 K loan -- and whether the good fortune lavished upon his election campaign will be reflected in future reports from the EDA.






Tags: blackberry jungle, labrador, peter penashue, when talking points serve no one