Peter Penashue | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs,President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada | |
| In office May 18, 2011 – March 14, 2013 | |
| Prime Minister | Stephen Harper |
| Preceded by | Josée Verner |
| Succeeded by | Denis Lebel |
| Member of theCanadian Parliament forLabrador | |
| In office May 30, 2011 – March 14, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Todd Russell |
| Succeeded by | Yvonne Jones |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1964-04-09)April 9, 1964 (age 60) Sheshatshiu,Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Profession | Innu leader, businessman |
| Cabinet | Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada |
| Website | Official website |
Peter Penashue,PC (/pɛˈnæʃweɪ/; born April 9, 1964) is aCanadian politician fromNewfoundland and Labrador. He was elected as theConservative Party of Canada Member of Parliament for the riding ofLabrador in the2011 federal election.[1] Penashue was the firstInnu from Labrador to be elected to theHouse of Commons of Canada and the first Innu cabinet minister in Canadian history. He was also the first centre-right MP to be elected from the riding of Labrador since 1968, and only the second ever to win it since Newfoundland and Labrador joined Canada in 1949.[2]
Following allegations of irregularities in his campaign spending, Penashue announced on March 14, 2013 that he would resign and seek to regain his seat in aby-election.[3][4] In the resulting by-election, held on May 13, 2013, he was defeated byYvonne Jones of theLiberal Party.[5] He unsuccessfully ran again in the riding in the 2015 federal election.
Penashue was born in the Innu community ofSheshatshiu,Newfoundland and Labrador. His mother Elizabeth is an author.[6][7] He attended elementary and secondary school in Sheshatshiu before continuing his education inSt. John's, where he graduated from Brother Rice High School and pursued studies atMemorial University of Newfoundland.
Penashue assumed a number of leadership roles in the Labrador Innu community, from Land Claims Director, Executive Director and Financial Administrator with the Naskapi Montagnais Innu to Grand Chief of the Innu Nation.
Penashue was elected President of the Innu Nation at the age of 26, and served as Grand Chief of the Innu Nation, for twelve years, from 1990 to 1997 and 1999 to 2004, and was the driving force behind the negotiation of the impacts-benefit agreement between the Innu Nation and the Voisey's Bay Nickel Company. He was also elected to the position of Deputy Grand Chief of the Innu Nation in Sheshatshiu in 2007 and stepped down on March 9, 2010.[8]
Penashue was elected to theHouse of Commons of Canada in the2011 Canadian federal election, in the riding ofLabrador. Penashue's challenger, Liberal incumbentTodd Russell, had originally been declared by the media as retaining his seat early on election night but after the last five polls were counted Penashue overtook Russell and was ultimately declared the winner.[2] Penashue's original margin of victory of 231 votes was reduced to 79 votes on recount.[9]
Penashue was one of two Innu in Parliament.Jonathan Genest-Jourdain, theNew Democratic MP from the neighbouring riding ofManicouagan inQuebec, was the other.[10]
Penashue was theMinister of Intergovernmental Affairs andPresident of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada from May 18, 2011 until his resignation on March 14, 2013.
Penashue's campaign took 28 ineligible campaign contributions totaling $27,850 in cash and $18,710 in in-kind contributions fromProvincial Airlines for services provided.Elections Canada deemed the contributions ineligible and Penashue's campaign was forced to pay $26,850 on November 28, 2012 and $18,710 on March 4, 2013 to theReceiver General of Canada.
After the 2011, election the Peneshue campaign had $4000 but still owed $15,000 from a $25,000 zero interest loan to the Innu Development Limited Partnership, a firm managed by his brother-in-law, Paul Rich. Interest free loans are not allowed by Canadian election law. In November 2012, the Conservative Party transferred $30,000 to the campaign and a further $14,350 on March 1, 2013.[4][11][12]
On March 14, 2013, Penashue resigned from Parliament. At the same time, he announced he would seek to return to his old seat via aby-election.[3][4] In the resulting by-election, held on May 13, 2013, he was defeated byYvonne Jones of theLiberal Party.[5]
In July 2015, seven companies acknowledged that they made illegal donations to Penashue's 2011 election campaign. Penashue's official agent in the 2011 campaign, Reg Bowers, has been charged with three counts of accepting illegal corporate contributions under the Canada Elections Act.[13] Penashue stated he feels badly for his former official agent.[14]
On September 3, 2015, Penashue was nominated as Conservative candidate in his former riding in the2015 Canadian federal election, again running against Yvonne Jones.[15] He lost by a margin of over 50% and was pushed into third place.
Penashue later served as one of two Innu Nation representatives on the Independent Expert Advisory Committee examining health concerns surrounding theMuskrat Falls hydroelectric project.[16]
In March 2024, Penashue was arrested at a home in Shehsatshiu by theRCMP on undisclosed charges.[17]
| 2015 Canadian federal election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Yvonne Jones | 8,878 | 71.75 | +23.76 | – | |||
| New Democratic | Edward Rudkowski | 1,779 | 14.38 | –4.81 | – | |||
| Conservative | Peter Penashue | 1,716 | 13.87 | –18.53 | – | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 12,373 | 100.0 | $204,293.51 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 53 | 0.43 | –0.42 | |||||
| Turnout | 12,426 | 62.39 | +4.40 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 19,917 | |||||||
| Liberalhold | Swing | +14.28 | ||||||
| Source:Elections Canada[18][19] | ||||||||
| Canadian federal by-election,13 May 2013:Labrador Resignation ofPeter Penashue, 14 March 2013 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Yvonne Jones | 5,812 | 47.99 | +8.92 | $76,859.63 | |||
| Conservative | Peter Penashue | 3,924 | 32.40 | −7.41 | $70,866.91 | |||
| New Democratic | Harry Borlase | 2,324 | 19.19 | −0.64 | $81,475.53 | |||
| Libertarian | Norman Andrews | 50 | 0.41 | $236.16 | ||||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 12,110 | 100.0 | – | $ 89,852.84 | ||||
| Total rejected, declined and unmarked ballots | 27 | 0.22 | −0.26 | |||||
| Turnout | 12,137 | 59.93 | +6.49 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 20,251 | |||||||
| Liberalgain fromConservative | Swing | +8.17 | ||||||
| Source:"By-election May 13, 2013".Elections Canada. May 13, 2013. RetrievedDecember 14, 2013. | ||||||||
| 2011 Canadian federal election:Labrador | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Peter Penashue | 4,256 | 39.81 | +31.84 | $89,997.05 | |||
| Liberal | Todd Russell | 4,177 | 39.07 | −31.21 | $30,016.49 | |||
| New Democratic | Jacob Larkin | 2,120 | 19.83 | +1.98 | $29,968.41 | |||
| Green | George C.R. Barrett | 139 | 1.30 | −2.61 | $0.00 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 10,692 | 100.0 | – | $84,468.09 | ||||
| Total rejected, declined and unmarked ballots | 52 | 0.48 | −0.37 | |||||
| Turnout | 10,744 | 52.91 | +14.31 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 20,305 | |||||||
| Conservativegain fromLiberal | Swing | +31.52 | ||||||
| Conservative candidate Peter Penashue was found to have spent above the mandated expense limit, precipitating his resignation and subsequent by-election. | ||||||||
| Sources:[20][21] | ||||||||
| 28th Ministry – Cabinet ofStephen Harper | ||
| Cabinet posts (2) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Josée Verner | President of the Privy Council 2011–2013 | Denis Lebel |
| Josée Verner | Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs 2011–2013 | Denis Lebel |
