Peter Penashue knew winning Labrador byelection would be difficult, Harper says

SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. – Prime Minister Stephen Harper says former Conservative cabinet minister Peter Penashue knew it would be difficult to win the federal byelection in Labrador.

Penashue lost Monday’s vote to Liberal candidate Yvonne Jones, who handed the Harper government its sole byelection defeat in a Tory-held seat.

Penashue resigned as intergovernmental affairs minister in March, saying he wanted to regain the trust of voters after he violated campaign spending rules during the 2011 federal election.

Harper says Penashue, who finished second in the byelection, was determined to do the right thing.

Jones is a former provincial Liberal party leader and 17-year veteran of the legislature.