Updated 2025-03-04 3:55 pm
The mayor of Courtenay, along with city councilors from Courtenay, Cumberland, and Powell River, are calling for federal Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn to withdraw from the race.
A letter to the Conservative Party of Canada accusing Gunn of “denying the impacts of residential schools and the generational trauma and genocide experienced by First Nations peoples” is currently circulating among local politicians.
So far it has been signed by Courtenay Mayor Bob Wells and four Courtenay councilors, three councilors from Cumberland, one Comox councilor, two Powell River councilors, and two Strathcona Regional District directors. Some former municipal politicians have also signed along with the chiefs of the Klahoose and Homalco First Nations.
The letter condemns Gunn for comments made on social media, claiming they are harmful to First Nations, the LGBTQ community, and threaten Canadian sovereignty.
Campbell River Mayor Kermit Dahl says he’s not surprised by some of the names on the list.
“This isn’t about a statement he made years ago,” he says. “They were never going to vote for him.”
Dahl says the letter appears to reflects fears of losing the riding to a Conservative candidate. He says if people really don’t like a candidate, they should exercise their democratic rights and vote for someone else.
This is a developing story, we will add more information as it becomes available.
