Dan Wilson running for dad's Glace Bay seat

Dan Wilson is running to win the seat in the Nova Sotia legislature just vacated by his father, the former Liberal MLA Dave Wilson.

Dan Wilson, 23, announced Tuesday that he is running in the June 22 bylection for the Atlantica Party of Nova Scotia.

Dave Wilson resigned his Glace Bay seat on March 11. He didn't give a reason, but stepped down after refusing to meet with the auditor general about expense claims. He had served as an MLA for 11 years, and was Liberal caucus chairman at the time of his resignation.

Dan Wilson said he decided to throw his hat in the ring, even though the timing is bad.

"My father just resigned from his seat. Obviously, the public is looking for answers on that. When I put my name forth as a candidate for the Atlantica Party, I knew full well that I'd be stepping into the line of fire, and I'd have to be answering the questions for him," Dan Wilson said Tuesday.

"But, unfortunately, as I said, I really don't havethe answers to the questions."

Dan Wilson said he can't explain why his father resigned his seat because he doesn't know why.

He said he terminated his Liberal Party membership in light of the MLA expenses scandal. He said the Atlantica Party offers substantive reform to provincial politics.

The Atlantica Party just received official recognition in March from Elections Nova Scotia.

The Atlantica Party's Jonathan Dean said the new entity will run on a platform promoting fiscally conservative policies and electoral reform.

Excessive claims

When Auditor General Jacques Lapointe released his original report on "excessive and unreasonable" claims by politicians in February, Dave Wilson's expenses were highlighted for a $400 claim he made for patio furniture.

At the time, Wilson said that receipt was among several that were submitted and processed at once. He said it was a mistake and paid back the $400.

The two opposition parties in Nova Scotia then released figures showing how much their members spent on extra staff and extra pay for their constituency assistants.

Of those who submitted documentation, Wilson spent the most, confirming he paid his constituency assistant more than $24,000 on top ofthe regular salary over a year-and-a-half.

He also paid more than $37,000 over the course of three years to other staff.

Last week, Lapointe sent the accounts of four former MLAs and one sitting MLA to the RCMP for investigation.