Liberals name Jones as candidate in Labrador byelection

Yvonne Jones is officially the Liberal candidate for the upcoming federal byelection in Labrador.

The party's national officeconfirmed on Wednesday the local riding association has chosenher to run.

Jones, currently the MHA for the southern Labrador district of Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair, was quick to announce on March 15that she wanted to represent the party.

Jones' announcementcaught former MP Todd Russell off guard, as he'dbeen considering a return to federal politics to have a rematch against former Tory MP Peter Penashue.

Penashue resigned because of the many spending irregularities in his 2011 election campaign. He is looking for a second chance at the federal seat and has been endorsed as the Conservative candidate.

Russell, who had represented Labrador for six years before losing to Penashue by just 79 votes, said he still feels bitter over the last election, but said his priority is to serve as president of NunatuKavut the organization that represents Labrador's Inuit Mtis.

Harry Borlasean analyst with C-CORE, a research organization working on cold-ocean development won the race for the NDP's nomination last weekend.

No date has been set for the byelection, however Prime Minister Stephen Harper is free to set a date as early as Friday.