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After saying for weeks he would not give a legally binding statement to Elections Canada, Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro has agreed to meet with the investigators probing his 2008 election campaign finances.

Del Mastro had rejected an invitation to respond to overspending allegations on a “cautioned” basis — meaning that he would be instructed on his charter rights against self-incrimination and told anything he says could be used in court.

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The caution is a standard practice Elections Canada investigators use when interviewing suspects, to ensure their legal rights are protected.

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Del Mastro never explained exactly why he wouldn’t speak under caution but at a press conference in his home riding of Peterborough, Ont., on Wednesday, he again insisted he would not, saying “it’s not a dialogue.”

But Del Mastro’s lawyer, quoted in a Globe and Mail story Friday, said Del Mastro was contacted by the agency and is planning to give a statement under caution to investigator Thomas Ritchie.