Conservative activist and filmmaker Aaron Gunn announced on Friday that he will be seeking the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) nomination for the British Columbia riding of North Island—Powell River.
The seat has been held by NDP MP Rachel Blaney since 2015 but Gunn hopes his candidacy would flip the riding.
“Over the past few years, I’ve watched as the quality of life for Canadians has deteriorated,” said Gunn in a press release.
“Whether it’s the cost of living, a collapsing health care system, or public safety, everything seems to be getting worse.”
According to Gunn, he hopes to put taxpayers at the forefront of his candidacy.
“I believe in putting taxpayers first, respecting our constitutional rights and supporting the hard-working men and women who built and continue to build this country every single day,” Gunn continued.
“I have spent the past several years producing documentaries that seek to uncover the truth and highlight the hardships facing many Canadians. While I am proud of my work investigating these issues, I don’t want to just report on them; I want to do something about them.”
Gunn recently directed and produced several films investigating Canada’s public safety and drug crisis. Those films include “Canada is Dying” and “Vancouver is Dying.”
This is not the first time Gunn has waded into politics. In 2021, he announced that he would be running for the BC Liberals leadership before they branded to BC United.
Gunn was disqualified by the BC Liberal Party for denying the claim that Canada committed genocide against Indigneous people.
At the time, Gunn accused the party of abandoning its commitment to free speech.
“Today, it became clear that conservatives, and all British Columbians who believe in common sense and freedom of speech, are no longer welcome in today’s BC Liberal party,” said Gunn in 2021.
Gunn has received an endorsement from the mayor of Campbell River, Kermit Dahl, for his CPC nomination bid.
“As mayor of Campbell River, I can think of no better representative to take on the Trudeau-NDP coalition than Aaron Gunn,” said Dahl.
“As a municipal government, we need strong advocates at the federal level to fight for us and our needs. In a time when politics can be divisive, Aaron stands out as a voice of reason, advocating for policies that benefit all residents of our community. I wholeheartedly endorse Aaron and look forward to working with him as our new member of parliament.”
Prince George–Peace River–Northern Rockies Conservative MP Bob Zimmer also endorsed Gunn’s candidacy.
