Blair Wilson (born May 18, 1963) is a Canadian politician and formerly the
member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
(MP) in the
39th Canadian parliament
The 39th Canadian Parliament was in session from April 3, 2006 until September 7, 2008. The membership was set by the 2006 federal election on January 23, 2006, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections. The Parliament w ...
for
West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country
West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country (formerly West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast) is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1997.
Geography
The ...
electoral district. He was elected on January 23, 2006, in the
2006 federal election as the
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
candidate. Shortly before the 2008 election was called, Wilson changed his allegiance to the
Green Party of Canada
The Green Party of Canada (french: Parti vert du Canada) is a federal political party in Canada, founded in 1983 with a focus on green politics.
The Green Party is currently the fifth largest party in the House of Commons by seat count. It el ...
, becoming that party's first MP following a period as an independent although an election was called before the House could sit. He subsequently lost the election to Conservative
John Weston John Weston may refer to:
Politicians
*John Weston (MP for New Shoreham) (fl.1446-7)
*John de Weston, MP for Derby (UK Parliament constituency)
* John Weston (MP fl.1339), MP for Derby (UK Parliament constituency)
* John Weston (died c. 1433), MP f ...
.
Wilson is a
chartered accountant and lives in
Kelowna
Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word ''kiÊ ...
. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...
.
In the 2006 election, Wilson narrowly defeated
John Weston John Weston may refer to:
Politicians
*John Weston (MP for New Shoreham) (fl.1446-7)
*John de Weston, MP for Derby (UK Parliament constituency)
* John Weston (MP fl.1339), MP for Derby (UK Parliament constituency)
* John Weston (died c. 1433), MP f ...
, the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
candidate. Weston lost by 1.5%, or 976 votes.
Wilson became involved in politics as the organizer for "The 2010 Rally on Robson" in support of the
2010 Winter Olympics
)''
, nations = 82
, athletes = 2,626
, events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, opening = February 12, 2010
, closing = February 28, 2010
, opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean
, cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...
in Vancouver during the City of Vancouver's
plebiscite
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
. He stood for Parliament in the
2004 federal election, narrowly losing to
John Reynolds by 1687 votes in what has long been considered one of the more right-leaning seats in the Vancouver area. At one point, the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
had even declared Wilson the winner. However, when some of the more rural results came in, Reynolds was the winner.
Controversy
On October 28, 2007, ''
The Province
''The Province'' is a daily newspaper published in tabloid format in British Columbia by Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, alongside the ''Vancouver Sun'' broadsheet newspaper. Together, they are British Columbia's only ...
'' newspaper alleged that Wilson's victory was aided by unlawful, off-the-books cash spending. In December 2007, the Liberal Party announced that Wilson would not be permitted to run under the Liberal Party banner following an investigation (unrelated to the investigation being conducted by Elections Canada) into Wilson's omissions of a number of legal and financial troubles during three nomination vetting processes.
Bill Lougheed, Wilson's father-in-law (who is a defendant in a lawsuit in which Wilson's wife is a plaintiff
), made several unproven allegations in the October 28, 2007, edition of ''
The Province
''The Province'' is a daily newspaper published in tabloid format in British Columbia by Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, alongside the ''Vancouver Sun'' broadsheet newspaper. Together, they are British Columbia's only ...
'',
[West Vancouver-Sunshine coast MP has unpaid debts, unproven allegations of improper campaign spending](_blank)
a
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
-based newspaper. ''The Province''
's article alleged that Wilson and his wife were subject to Social Services Tax Act liens on three properties
and owe $2.1 million in bank mortgages,
that Wilson misled the media about the true extent of his business success,
exaggerating the number of restaurants he founded
and claiming to have sold an accountancy business his in-laws claim closed,
among other discrepancies, and that when Wilson's two restaurants, Mahoneys and Wilson's Steakhouse, closed, he was taken twice to the BC Employment Standards Tribunal for refusing to pay employees,
was sued twice for failing to pay contractors,
and was twice compelled by the courts to pay GST owing.
None of the allegations was ever proven, and Blair denies all of the claims and commenced legal action against the anonymous tipster who made the campaign spending allegations after an Elections Canada probe found the allegations to be false. Wilson was also taken to court by a supplier over $33,839 that was owed (this amount was later paid).
On October 28, 2007, Wilson resigned from the Liberal Party caucus amid these allegations but retained his seat in the House of Commons as an independent.
On July 21, 2008,
Elections Canada
Elections Canada (french: Élections Canada)The agency operates and brands itself as Elections Canada, its legal title is Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (). is the non-partisan agency responsible for administering Canadian federal electio ...
cleared Wilson of 21 of the 24 allegations raised by ''The Province''
's investigation. Wilson requested readmittance to the Liberal caucus in July 2008 but was not allowed to rejoin the party. It was announced on August 30, 2008, that he had joined the Green Party as that party's first Member of Parliament,
although Parliament was dissolved before he could sit as a Green Party MP. He unsuccessfully ran for re-election in the Green Party.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Blair
1963 births
Green Party of Canada MPs
Living people
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia
Members of the United Church of Canada
People from North Vancouver
People from West Vancouver
Liberal Party of Canada MPs
Independent MPs in the Canadian House of Commons
21st-century Canadian politicians