Aaron Gunn has officially been sworn in as a Member of Parliament for the North Island鈥揚owell River riding.
"The journey to this moment hasn't been easy, but Canada is, and always will be, worth fighting for. I can鈥檛 wait to get to work for the incredible people of this riding and our country," said Gunn on his social media pages. "I won鈥檛 let you down."
Members of Parliament were sworn in on May 13 at the Rideau Hall Ballroom, presided by Governor General Mary Simon. Gunn announced his swearing in on May 25.
On May 26, MPs (including Gunn) voted in a new Speaker of the House of Commons in a secret ranked ballot, choosing Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia (MP of Lac-Saint-Louis) to replace Conservative MP and interim opposition leader Andrew Scheer. On May 27, parliament will be opened by King Charles III during his first royal visit to Canada as the monarch.
Gunn was nominated as a candidate by the Conservative Party for the 2025 general election in December of 2023.
On April 28, Gunn was elected as the riding's MP, beating Tanille Johnstone (NDP), Jennifer Lash (Liberal), Jessica Wegg (Green) Paul Macknight (People's) and Glen Staples (Independent).
Gunn did not attend any of the all-candidates meetings scheduled during the election.
During the campaign, X (formally known as Twitter) and Facebook posts Gunn posted in the past were, particularly around Gunn's posts regarding Residential Schools and genocide denial. The same Tweets led him to be removed from the B.C. Liberal Party while running as an MLA in 2021.
calling for the Conservative Party to remove Aaron Gunn as a candidate on April 8, which reached 15,000 signatures by the next day. As of May 26, 19,920 people have signed it.
Some of the s also called for his removal as a candidate in the aftermath of the Tweets and Facebook posts reappearing in public. . A letter signed by former and current politicians based in Courtenay, Cumberland, Powell River, and Comox was also circulating at this time, asking for his removal.
On April 3, Gunn posted a statement on social media.
"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. I have never wavered in condemning the theft of children from their families, or the forced destruction of Indigenous language, culture and traditions.
"Not only have I repeatedly denounced what happened at residential schools, but through my documentaries I have also interviewed more than two dozen Indigenous leaders on the importance of economic reconciliation with First Nations while also highlighting the disproportionate impact the addictions crisis has had on their communities."
Conservative leader, saying that Gunn denying the impact of residential schools is "misinformation" during a campaign stop on Osoyoos on April 5.
"[Gunn] said that he wants to continue to condemn the residential schools and build stronger partnerships with First Nations people to unlock our resources," said Poilievre. "We can produce incredible paychecks and opportunities for First Nations communities right across British Columbia, bring home production of natural gas and other major resource projects and in fact, bring in a First Nations resource charge that allows companies to pay those taxes directly to these communities so that they can have incredible prosperity."
, a member of the Conservative Party of BC, in support of Gunn. It also had signatures from local politicians from Campbell River, Courtenay, Powell River and the Mount Waddington Regional District. However, it was written on B.C. legislative assembly stationary raising questions of ethics as Legislative Assembly stationary should only be used for official responsibilities, nor used for partisan activities. Kindy said she took full responsibility for the error.
The letter was further controversial due to Courtenay-Comox MLA Brennan Day's name being added as a signature. The BC NDP released a statement about an email sent to Day from a man named "Paul" asking about his signature on the letter, which Day said he did not consent to. Day has not confirmed this with Black Press.
The Mirror has reached out to Gunn for comment.
