Tag Archives: Stephen Harper

Aaron Gunn responds: About Residential Schools

Originally published on Twitter

I’d like to clear up what has been said today.

I have always been firm in recognizing the truly horrific events that transpired in residential schools, and any attempt to suggest otherwise is simply false. I have never wavered in condemning these institutions of abuse, where countless First Nations suffered at the hands of a patronizing federal government. 

Continue reading Aaron Gunn responds: About Residential Schools

Aaron Gunn Responds: About Putin

Originally published on Twitter

I am firmly opposed to Putin’s heinous and illegal actions in Ukraine, and his oppression of the Russian people within Russia. I have held and articulated these views publicly for years. 

In early 2014, when I was still in my early 20s, I made foolish comments about Putin and Ukraine. I stopped holding those views a long time ago. 

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First Nation Leaders Call Upon Conservative Party To Drop Aaron Gunn As A Candidate

First Nations leaders are calling upon the Conservative Party of Canada to drop Aaron Gunn, candidate for North Island-Powell River, due to a series of tweets he made between 2019 and 2021.

More than 150,000 First Nation, Métis and Inuit children were taken out of their homes and forced to attend residential schools between the 1870s and 1997. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission called the residential school system “cultural genocide” in its final report released in 2015.

Gunn tweeted: “Why are the report authors (and now Trudeau) sensationalizing truly horrific events, that need to be examined honestly, with a loaded word like ‘genocide’ that does not remotely reflect the reality of what happened.”  

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Tla’amin Nation set to reclaim village of tiskʷat 151 years after it was taken: ‘It’s like a long lost relative’

Indiginews, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

For the Tla’amin Nation, the loss of their village site tiskʷat has been like “a missing limb” for the community, according to Dillon Johnson.

Their home and salmon fishing site was stolen and sold by “British Columbia” 151 years ago at a time when the community’s population was decimated by disease.

For the next seven generations, Tla’amin people were separated from tiskʷat. People were moved onto reserves, salmon runs were all but wiped out by construction of a new dam, and a paper mill began operating on the site.

Continue reading Tla’amin Nation set to reclaim village of tiskʷat 151 years after it was taken: ‘It’s like a long lost relative’

Canada’s National Debt in 2023 (Includes Cortes and Area C data)

According to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, the National Debt is now close to $1.21 trillion dollars, which amounts to $30,602 per Canadian. The government expects to pay more than $46.5 billion to service the debt for 2023/24. This exceeds 10% of the federal revenue threshold, recommended by David Dodge, former Bank of Canada Governor. A report from the Fraser Institute states: “In 2021, the average Canadian family (in which two partners are working) earned an income of $99,030 and paid total taxes equaling $42,547 (43.0%).” What does this mean on Cortes Island? Or in Area C?

Continue reading Canada’s National Debt in 2023 (Includes Cortes and Area C data)