Updated 2025-04-04 3:55 pm
Updated 2025-04-05 8:05 am
Updated 2025-04-06 3:45 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 more than 20 municipal and Indigenous politicians (full list of names below) including Courtenay Mayor Bob Wells and Port Hardy Mayor Pat Corbett-Labatt. Councilors from Courtenay, Cumberland, Comox, and Powell River have also signed, including two Strathcona Regional District directors. Elected chiefs of the Klahoose and Homalco First Nations have also signed.
The letter condemns Gunn for a variety of comments made on social media, some more than a decade ago, 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.
List of signatories
- Wendy Morin, Councillor, City of Courtenay
- Arzeena Hamir, Director & Vice Chair, Comox Valley Regional District 2018-2022
- Mark Vonesch, Regional Director, Cortes Island, Strathcona Regional District
- Robyn Mawhinney, Regional Director, Discovery Islands and Mainland Inlets, Strathcona
- Regional District
- Evan Jolicoeur, Councillor, City of Courtenay
- Will Cole-Hamilton, Councillor, City of Courtenay
- Melanie McCollum, Councillor, City of Courtenay
- Bob Wells, Mayor, City of Courtenay
- Jonathan Kerr, Councillor, Town of Comox
- Doug Hillian, Councillor, City of Courtenay
- Chief Kevin Peacey Klahoose First Nation
- Troy Therrien, Councillor, Village of Cumberland
- Sean Sullivan, Councillor, Village of Cumberland
- Vickey Brown, Mayor, Village of Cumberland
- Gordon Wilson, former MLA, Powell River/Sunshine Coast, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs
- Sarah Fowler, Councillor/ Deputy Mayor, Village of Tahsis.
- Trina Isakson, Councillor, City of Powell River
- Cindy Elliott, Councillor, City of Powell River
- CaroleAnn Leishman, former City Councillor, City of Powell River
- Chief Darren Blaney, Homalco Nation
- Martin Davis, Mayor, Village of Tahsis
- Julie Colborne, Mayor, Village of Zeballos
- Jennifer Meilleur, Councillor, Town of Comox
- Paul Ives, Mayor, Town of Comox, 2008-2018
- Pat Corbett-Labatt, Mayor, District of Port Hardy
- Dennis Dugas, Councillor, District of Port Hardy (former mayor 2018-2022)
- Fred Robertson, Councillor, District of Port Hardy
- Karen Skadsheim, former City Councillor, City of Powell River
- Rachel Blaney, former MP, North Island-Powell River
- Nick Ward, Councillor, Village of Cumberland
- Claire Moglove, former City Councillor, City of Campbell River
This is a developing story, we will add more information as it becomes available.
