Embattled member of Par-liament (MP) Blair Wilson has been cleared by Elections Canada of all but three financial irregularities in his 2006 election campaign. At a press conference at Dun-darave Pier in West Vancouver Sunday morning, Wilson, MP for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country, released the findings of the eight-month investigation by Elections Canada and revealed his plans for the future.
"I have been cleared of most of the allegations made anonymously in the media and on the Internet and in complaints to Elections Canada," Wilson said. "The smear campaign aimed at ruining my career has backfired. I now look forward to continuing the important work of representing the people of my riding without further distraction."
News of alleged financial improprieties first came to light in November 2007 when several media outlets reported allegations of campaign misspending and called into question Wilson's professional and private life, including alleged business deals that went wrong and a strained relationship between Wilson, his wife Kelly and Wilson's father-in-law Bill Lougheed.
When the story broke, Wilson immediately resigned from the national Liberal caucus. He denied the allegations and requested an Elections Canada review of his campaign's financial records. He now sits as an Independent MP.
"Stepping aside from the caucus while this issue was resolved was the right thing to do," said Wilson. "I knew that the majority of the allegations were not true and Elections Canada has now confirmed that."
In a compliance agreement, Wilson has acknowledged that certain actions during his campaign constituted a failure to comply with section 83 of the Canada Elections Act, which requires a candidate to appoint an official agent and auditor before accepting a contribution or incurring an electoral campaign expense.
Wilson incurred campaign expenses before his first official agent's appointment on Nov. 29, 2005. The first agent left the campaign on Dec. 8, and a new official agent was appointed Dec. 20. Wilson said he regretted not having an official agent in place at all times.
Wilson also admitted he made errors in two other aspects of his campaign. He accepted 144 printed umbrellas valued at approximately $711, which were not recorded as a contribution due to a miscommunication when the new agent was appointed to the campaign team. Wilson also personally paid $9,000 for the printing of brochures, business cards and Christmas cards, which were not charged to campaign expenses. According to Wilson, the brochures were destroyed before they were used because they inadvertently included the Olympic rings, which is a copyright infringement.
Elections Canada accepted Wilson's explanations in the compliance agreement and issued a notice of compliance confirming the accuracy of the information he provided. The notice of compliance also means Wilson will not be prosecuted for his actions.
According to Wilson, even with the two amounts noted in the agreement, his total campaign spending in 2006 was still below the legal cap of just over $92,000.
"I made three honest mistakes in my campaign. I acknowledged them and accepted responsibility, and Elections Canada accepted my explanations," Wilson said. "Election campaigns are complex events and mistakes can and do happen. What's important is how you deal with them. When the allegations were made, I asked Elections Canada to review the situation. That was the right thing to do and the issue has now been resolved."
Wilson said his next priority is to rejoin the national Liberal caucus and to represent the party in the next election.
"I have never stopped being a true and loyal member of the Liberal Party of Canada," added Wilson. "Now that I have been cleared by Elections Canada of most of the allegations and these anonymous smears have been proven to be untrue, it's time for me to rejoin the caucus and help ensure that the Liberal party wins the next general election."
Also on Sunday, Wilson confirmed that Lougheed has substantially reduced a $2.5 million lawsuit against him and Kelly, to recover money allegedly borrowed from Kelly's late mother. Lougheed is now claiming only $11,000 from Wilson, of which $5,000 was supposedly a Liberal party campaign donation and not a loan and is therefore not repayable under federal law.
"The essence of this issue is a dispute between my father-in-law and my wife over her late mother's will. It has nothing to do with my work as a member of Parliament," Wilson said. "Unfortunately, some of my opponents have tried to use this dispute to raise questions about my competence, but I'm confident that the voters of this riding, the people of Canada and my colleagues in the Liberal caucus have seen the charade for what it is and will not be swayed by this shameless behaviour."
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