Penashue offers few details on campaign spending

Newfoundland and Labrador's federal cabinet representative still has little to say on how he funded his 2011 election campaign, including an Elections Canada finding that he spent more than allowed.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Peter Penashue was found not only to have spent almost $4,000 over his limit, but that his campaign also had several irregularities, including cheques with no names, handwritten receipts and a donation with no name attached.

As well, Elections Canada found that Penashue had obtained a loan for $25,000 from the Innu Development Limited Partnership - a firm managed at the time by Penashue's brother-in-law - after some cheques written by his own campaign had bounced.

Penashue has avoided comment since the findings became public in July, and on Monday at a meeting of the Conservative Atlantic caucus in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Penashue refused to say much more.

"We have as I've said made a submission to Elections Canada, and we are dealing with any errors that we may have made," said Penashue.

The meeting provided the first opportunity for CBC News to ask Penashue in person about the campaign spending.

However, Penashue - who upset Liberal incumbent Todd Russell in the May 2011 election - would not say, for instance, how much of the Innu Development Partnership loan has been repaid, or whether he would take personal responsibility for going over the spending limits allowed under the law.

"We've made a submission to Elections Canada, and we will be, we are working with Elections Canada to rectify any errors that were made," he said.

Penashue's staff ended the interview after just two minutes, saying the minister had a busy schedule.