Tag Archives: Gunn’s Tweets

Politics

Split vote lifted Gunn to victory despite controversy

By Rochelle Baker and Sonal Gupta, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Controversial Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn ended his successful campaign the same way he started it: by keeping his whereabouts secret and avoiding questions from the media.

Gunn, whose inflammatory social media history drew national attention and widespread calls for his removal as candidate, was elected in North Island-Powell River with 39% of the vote. He flipped the riding, defeating NDP candidate Tanille Johnston, who garnered 33% of the vote. Liberal Jennifer Lash carried 26% and Green Jessica Wegg drew 2%.

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Politics

How Aaron Gunn Riles Foes in a Coastal Riding

By Andrea Bennett, Originally published on the Tyee

It’s a packed house at the federal all-candidates meeting in Powell River, with one very notable absence: Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn.

Outside the Evergreen Theatre, campaign volunteers staff a table stacked with placards bearing Gunn’s name and face, perhaps with the idea his supporters may hold them up in the crowd, conjuring the idea of his presence.

Inside, four candidates — the NDP’s Tanille Johnston, the Green Party’s Jessica Wegg, the Liberals’ Jennifer Lash and Independent Glen Staples — answer questions about crime, the toxic drug crisis, reforming the RCMP, Israel and Palestine, and what they’d do to ensure Canada implements the recommendations emerging from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

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Politics

Vancouver Island NDP candidates aim to ‘make empathy great again’

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Unity, community and resistance were the rallying cries during a Vancouver Island NDP event Thursday night that drew more than 300 supporters. 

The election rally for Gord Johns, incumbent MP for Courtenay-Alberni and North Island-Powell River candidate Tanille Johnston featured live brass music and a jubilant and defiant crowd — some sporting orange wigs or draped in multicoloured Pride flags. 

A rainbow even made an appearance following a day of torrential rain.

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Indigenous Nations History

Aaron Gunn, Residential Schools and the Meanings of Genocide

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In a series of tweets between 2019 and 2021, the Conservative candidate for North Island Powell River, Aaron Gunn, argued against the the idea that residential schools were a form of genocide.  In the first of these he agreed that they were ‘truly horrific events,’ but added that people should not refer to them with a loaded word like ‘genocide’ that does not remotely reflect the reality of what happened.” He was wrong, residential schools are a perfect example of genocide.

Mr Gunn’s understanding of the term appears to be limited to ‘killing of a large number of people,’ but when Raphael Lemkin coined the term he stated it wasn’t necessary to kill people. There were also genocides of political and social institutions, culture, language, national feelings, religion, and the economic existence of national groups.

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Indigenous Nations, Politics

Elected and Former Politicians Calling For Aaron Gunn To Step Down

A growing number of elected and former politicians in the North Island Powell River riding are calling upon the Conservative Party to withdraw their endorsement of Aaron Gunn, and demand he withdraw his candidacy. There were already 19 names in the joint letter when Cortes Currents contacted the two women spearheading this campaign and another 6 were added before this post was finished.

 “This has all happened within the last 48 hours. (Bob Chamberlain) a former Vice President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs sent out the first call  for Gunn to be removed. After that many other chiefs supported the call for him to step down,” explained Arzeena Hamir,  a former Regional Director of Area B  in the Comox Valley Regional District.

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