The leaders of the first nations in BC ask the conservatives to bring the candidate Aaron Gunn to fall

A former vice -president of the Union of Indian leaders of British Columbia (Ubcic) wants the conservative party to drop its candidate in his guide on social media that show “denial of residential school impacts”.

“I find it extremely worrying that a candidate for any party can make such clearly racist comments,” said Bob (Galagame) Chamberlin, who has been Ubcico vice -president for 10 years and as an elected head of Kwikwasut’ Inauxw Haxwa’Mis First Nation for 14 years.

Aaron Gunn made post on X between 2019 and 2021 denying that the natives had had to face a genocide in Canada and that “residential schools were requested by indigenous bands”.

Gunn is now running as a candidate of the conservative party for the North Island-Powell river.

A post from gunn On X since October 2020 he reads “There was no genocide. You stop lying to people and read a book. The holocaust was a genocide. Down to twitter and find out more about the world.”

More than 150,000 children of First Nation, Métis and Inuit were forced to attend residential schools between 1870 and 1997. The Commission for Truth and Reconciliation called Residential School System “Cultural genocide” in its final report published in 2015.

The Chamber of Municipalities unanimously exceeded a motion in 2022 recognizing The residential schools of Canada as a genocide. The motion was passed after Pope Francis Residential schools described as genocide After his visit to Canada in July 2022.

Chamberlin said that these comments show a “negation of the impacts of the residential school” and Gunn “obviously can never represent the interests of the people of the first nations in this guide”.

Terry Tegee, the BC regional head for the assembly of the first nations, said that the conservative party should take a closer look at its candidates and consider the idea of ​​dropping Gunn.

“Mr. Gunn has certainly not read the term that is genocide,” he said.

“It is really worrying that perhaps the conservatives cannot work with the peoples of the first nations in this country, in particular with a party that supports an individual of this type of sight.”

One post on X from June 2021 The recites “residential schools were requested by indigenous bands in Eastern Ontario when John A. Macdonald was still a teenager, but hey, because letting the truth stand for a good title.”

Stewart Phillip, a great head of the Ubcico, defined the posts “absolutely reprovable and repugnant and completely devoid of any sense of compassion for the indigenous peoples who have suffered enormously through the residential school experience”.

“I don’t think this man is suitable for a public load, whether federal or provincial or any office that allows him to continue making these horrible statements,” he said.

Chamberlin said that Gunn’s social media posts are a residential school denial.

“My fear is if candidates like Aaron Gunn are successful and are elected, that is, the conversations that will continue to guide the oppression of the people of the first nations,” said Chamberlin.

The conservative party responds

CBC News has made several attempts to reach Gunn for a comment, but has not renovated the time of publishing.

In a declaration, a spokesman for the campaign for the conservative party stated that “Aaron Gunn was clear in recognizing the truly horrible events that emerged in residential schools and any attempt to suggest otherwise is simply false”.

The declaration indicates the comments made by the conservative leader Pierre Poiievre to the assembly of the first nations last July, in which he recognized the suffering caused by residential schools, defining him a “monstrous abuse of excessive governmental power”.

In the speech, then he said there was more work to do and “I know that Canada has no future without a strong future for the people of the first nations”.

In the declaration, the spokesman said that “Mr. Gunn, together with great candidates such as the former chief of Haisla Ellis Ross, can’t wait to repeal the liberal radical anti-Radiosa laws to quickly good green light projects, therefore the first nations and all the Canadians bring more powerful Paycheques home.”

The NDP candidate for the North Island-Powell Tanille Johnston river declared in a statement to CBC News: “It is horrible to see the conservatives manage a candidate who transports such divisive and harmful beliefs”.

“I believe that conservatives should explain why they believe that this type of candidate is more suitable not only for our guide of the North Island-Powell river, but for our federal government.”

The conservative party has dropped four candidates This week, three of them for controversial comments.

The Liberal Party of BC rejected the Gunn application Candidate for his leadership in 2021 after a review of the comments attributed to Gunn on social media.

CBC News contacted the liberal party for a comment, but did not regain the time of publishing.