Press release from the Homalco Nation

In a press release in February, Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives included a quote from Chief Darren Blaney of the Homalco First Nation in a news release regarding their plan for a First Nations Resource Charge (FNRC) without consultation or consent. This was only recently brought to the attention of leadership. The Chief and Council unequivocally denounce the use of this and any future quotes of their leadership without proper consultation and call on the Conservatives to remove any Homalco-related quotes from past, current and future new releases.

This revelation comes on the heels of calls for Aaron Gunn, the Conservative candidate in the federal riding in which the Homalco community reside, to be dropped from the election campaign. Social media posts from the recent past indicate that Gunn holds extreme views regarding residential schools, minimizing the history and trauma caused by residential schools, attacking 2SLGBTQ+ people, and sympathizing with warmonger Putin. We join other leaders today in calling for the removal of Aaron Gunn from the Conservative Party.