Latest news with #AaronGunn
CBC
29-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Aaron Gunn wins North Island-Powell River riding
Aaron Gunn has won the riding of North Island-Powell River for the Conservatives. Last month Gunn was accused by some First Nations leaders of denying the effects of residential schools.
CTV News
29-04-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Controversial candidate Aaron Gunn wins seat for Conservatives in B.C.
Aaron Gunn, the Conservative candidate who courted controversy with comments about Canada's residential schools, has been elected in the British Columbia riding of North Island-Powell River.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
All-candidates debate cancelled in North Island-Powell River riding
Organizers cancelled an all-candidates debate in Campbell River, B.C. with little notice on Tuesday due to planned protest rallies at the venue. The debate was supposed to feature Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn, Green candidate Jessica Wegg, NDP candidate Tanille Johnston, Liberal candidate Jennifer Lash, People's Party candidate Paul MacKnight and an Independent candidate, Glen Staples. But an hour and a half before the event at Tidemark Theatre in Campbell River in northern Vancouver Island, the event's organizer — the Campbell River Chamber of Commerce — sent out a media release saying the event was cancelled. While the chamber has not responded to interview requests from CBC News, candidates told CBC News that they were informed the cancellation was due to safety concerns and planned protests and counter-protests at the venue. The Tidemark Theatre in Campbell River, B.C., was set to host the debate before its cancellation a little over an hour before it was supposed to start. (Claire Palmer/CBC) "After careful consultation with local authorities and event organizers, we have concluded that it is impossible to guarantee the event's safety and orderly conduct under these circumstances," reads a statement from event organizers posted on Gunn's Facebook page. The NDP, Liberal and Green candidates decided to have an impromptu event outside the theatre where they spoke to voters about what matters to them, while the Conservative candidate said he would knock on doors directly. "Speaking for myself, I hadn't had any safety concerns. We hadn't received any any word that there was going to be anything to be worried about," Wegg told CBC News. All the candidates that spoke to CBC News expressed disappointment that the debate had been cancelled. (Claire Palmer/CBC) Wegg said the number-one issue in the riding was the issue of affordability and housing, and that debates like Tuesday's were important to ensure there isn't further political polarization in the country. "We're hearing a lot about fears about what's happening south of the border," Wegg said. "We want that to not happen here." Election campaign signs line a roadside in Vancouver Island advertising candidates from different parties. Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn, whose sign stands prominently at centre, has faced calls for his resignation and a petition demanding his removal. (Maryse Zeidler/CBC) Lash, the Liberal candidate, called the debate cancellation a "disservice to our community." She said that she was hoping to use the debate to talk about issues such as salmon farms, specifically the federal government's decision to close the province's open-net salmon farms by 2029. "We really let the community down when we didn't put together the right transition package to support the community," she said of the salmon farm decision. "And I'm willing to fight for it." For his part, Staples told CBC News that his number-one issue was Canada's party and electoral system itself. Tory candidate criticized over tweets While a CBC News reporter in Campbell River observed a small demonstration outside the theatre on Tuesday, with around 20 First Nations Elders gathering in a circle to protest Gunn, she did not see any counter-protesters. Conservative candidate Gunn has been criticized for his past tweets, with First Nations leaders accusing him of residential school denialism with the posts. Gunn made posts on X between 2019 and 2021 denying that Indigenous people faced a genocide in Canada and that "residential schools were asked for by Indigenous bands."A campaign spokesperson told CBC News that "Aaron Gunn has been clear in recognizing the truly horrific events that transpired in residential schools, and any attempt to suggest otherwise is simply false." Gunn said on Facebook while he was disappointed with Tuesday's cancellation, "this won't slow us down." The NDP's Johnston said that Gunn's social media posts should not be the topic that matters most to North Island-Powell River voters. "We should be spending our time talking about the the greater things like growing our economy and what that looks like," she said. "Expanding health care in our provinces, expanding our $10-a-day child-care program and the nuances that need to be brought forward with that, these types of amazing initiatives that are really going to help communities." Tanille Johnston from the NDP helped organize the impromptu event outside the theatre after the debate cancellation. (Claire Palmer/CBC)
CBC
14-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Why Vancouver Island is shaping up to be a hot spot for strategic voting
Social Sharing A growing number of left-leaning voters across B.C. are thinking of voting strategically as polls show the province has some of the tightest races in the country. JB Burrows, founder and managing director of a site that helps voters choose left-leaning candidates in their riding that it believes are most likely to win, says Vancouver Island, in particular, is an anomaly across Canada. "There's no other place in this country where the parties that are not Conservative are so competitive with each other," Burrows told CBC News. The seven ridings on Vancouver Island have traditionally swung back and forth from the Conservatives to the NDP. The Green Party is also a strong contender in the region, with co-leader Elizabeth May holding one of the party's two seats. There hasn't been a Liberal MP on the island since 2011. But pollsters say that could change with this election as Carney and the Liberals gain support. Meanwhile, adding another left-of-centre party to the mix of viable candidates is presenting a difficult choice for some voters. "The island is still incredibly split," Burrows said. The Trump factor Pollster Mario Canseco, president of Research Co, says strategic voting and concerns about vote-splitting aren't new or partisan issues. Canseco says Conservative voters have been similarly worried in past elections when the right-leaning Reform Party and People's Party of Canada have had stronger support. What's different this time, he says, is how early in the campaign talk of strategic voting has started. "It's happening earlier because of the influence of Donald Trump," he told CBC News. "What is happening is a heightened level of concern about who forms the government." Canseco says nearly a third of Canadians say that Canada-U.S. relations is the top issue for them, and it's pushing other issues like housing, the economy and the environment to the back. But Canseco warns against basing decisions on data that shows riding-level numbers, which he says is often based on national numbers and doesn't usually take the influence of a specific candidate. "It's a fun exercise. But it's not a riding level pool, right?" Conservative support further north Despite concerns among some left-wing voters, the Conservatives have a lot of support in some Vancouver Island ridings. In the North Island - Powell River riding, Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn has faced calls for his resignation and a petition for his removal. Gunn is also facing a social media campaign from left-wing voters to not split the vote, specifically in his riding. But Gunn has also received a lot of support, including from local elected officials. Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn under fire over residential school comments 5 days ago Duration 2:59 WARNING: This story contains details of experiences at residential schools. The past tweets of the Conservative candidate in the North Island—Powell River riding have been making headlines for days. Aaron Gunn has been under fire for tweets about Canada's residential school system, in which he said that the system did not constitute genocide. CBC's Claire Palmer made the journey to the riding and talked to those defending Gunn, and others who say he's got to go. A national 24-hour Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available at 1-866-925-4419 for emotional and crisis referral services for survivors and those affected. Mental health counselling and crisis support are also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Hope for Wellness hotline at 1-855-242-3310 or by online chat. Should one choose to ignore Canseco's advice and believe riding-level polls, Gunn is far ahead of his rivals. Polls for Courtenay-Alberni Conservative candidate Kris McNichol also show him with a substantial lead. The riding's Green Party candidate, Chris Markevic, says despite being approached by "several people" asking him to drop out and endorse incumbent NDP candidate Gord Johns in order to avoid vote splitting, he's choosing to stay put. "The NDP are 100 per cent responsible for the mess they have made. As a former member myself, I cannot count how many times we told them to stop pretending to be the Liberals," Markevich posted on X, formerly Twitter. "Their party has lost its identity in the Canadian political landscape, and that is not the fault of the Greens." The Freedom to vote Further south on the island, John Wilson, CEO of Wilson's Transportation and a former B.C. Conservative candidate says strategic voting isn't new. "It's a strategy, all right," Wilson said. "We should all have the freedom to vote for the person or the party that we see fit." Wilson's riding, Saanich-Gulf Islands, is one of the tightest races on Vancouver Island. shows a nearly three-way split between Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, Conservative candidate Cathy Ounsted and Liberal candidate David Beckham.
CBC
09-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn under fire over residential school comments
WARNING: This story contains details of experiences at residential schools. The past tweets of the Conservative candidate in the North Island—Powell River riding have been making headlines for days. Aaron Gunn has been under fire for tweets about Canada's residential school system, in which he said that the system did not constitute genocide. CBC's Claire Palmer made the journey to the riding and talked to those defending Gunn, and others who say he's got to go. A national 24-hour Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available at 1-866-925-4419 for emotional and crisis referral services for survivors and those affected. Mental health counselling and crisis support are also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Hope for Wellness hotline at 1-855-242-3310 or by online chat.
