Brian Jean suspends Wildrose leadership campaign after son's death

Wildrose Partyleadership candidate Brian Jean is suspending his campaign until further notice following the death of his son.

The 24-year-old died after spending a year in hospital with an undisclosed illness.

A statement from Jean's campaign says scheduled events over the next two dayswill proceed.

The former Alberta director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Derek Fildebrandtwho is running for the party in Strathmore-Brookswill fill in for Jean during his absence.

The new leader of the party will be announced on March 28.

With profound sadness, on behalf of all my colleagues, I extend my deepest condolences to Brian Jean, his family and his friends," said Wildrose interim leader Heather Forsyth in a statement.

All of our hearts are broken by this sudden and unexpected news. The loss of a relative is one of the most devastating experiences a person can face. Brian is a fighter and Im proud to call him my friend. Wildrose [members] will be here to support Brian and the Jean family in any way we can.

Jean isaformer MP from FortMcMurray. He has said one of the reasons he wants to be a provincial politician is because of what he has seen first-hand in the health-care system.