Poilievre stands by B.C. candidate criticized for remarks on residential schools

OSOYOOS – Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre stood by a British Columbia candidate as he brought his campaign to the province Saturday, after calls for Aaron Gunn to be removed over past comments about the history of Canada’s residential schools.

Poilievre was asked about reports of a letter from numerous Indigenous and municipal leaders in B.C. that said Gunn has denied the impact of residential schools and intergenerational trauma among Indigenous Peoples.

But Poilievre said that assertion was “false.”

“He has not denied the impact of residential schools. That’s just misinformation,” the Conservative leader said of the candidate for North Island-Powell River.

“In fact, he has said that he wants to continue to condemn the residential schools and build stronger partnerships with First Nations people to unlock our resources so that we can produce incredible paycheques and opportunities for First Nations communities,” Poilievre told a press conference in Osoyoos, B.C.

In videos and statements posted online in 2020 and 2021, Gunn said the residential school system did not constitute genocide and the schools are “much-maligned.”

“There was no genocide. Stop lying to people and read a book,” Gunn wrote in 2020.

B.C.’s First Nations Leadership Council — comprised of the leaders of the B.C. Assembly of First Nations, the First Nations Summit and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs — is among the groups that have condemned Gunn’s comments.

“Such attitudes are extremely harmful and divisive and should not be held by those in public office,” the leadership council said in a statement issued Thursday.

Gunn issued a statement on social media Thursday saying he has “always been firm in recognizing the truly horrific events that transpired in residential schools, and any attempt to suggest otherwise is simply false.”

Poilievre said the Conservatives are the only party offering a “bright future” for First Nations by spurring resource development that would bring money and opportunities to communities.

He said he would bring in a “First Nations resource charge,” allowing companies to pay taxes directly to communities so they can have “incredible prosperity.” 

More than 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools, the last of which closed in 1996.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was tasked with researching the residential school system, found the institutions were rife with abuse, with children separated from their families and barred from visiting with their families.

It concluded that the schools were intended for cultural genocide, saying they were a systematic “attempt to destroy Aboriginal cultures and languages and to assimilate Aboriginal peoples so that they no longer existed as distinct peoples.”

Poilievre held the press conference at a concrete business, where he said federal rules were smothering small businesses and driving away investment.

He promised to cut bureaucratic red tape by 25 per cent in two years, part of his plan for a “two-for-one” law that mandates two regulations be repealed for every new one that is brought in. It would also require that for every dollar in new administrative costs, two dollars must be cut elsewhere to ease the burden.

Poilievre said that if a Conservative government is elected, it will pass a law that requires Canada’s auditor general to verify the administrative changes.

He later stopped at a motorsports club in Oliver, B.C., where he drove around the track with his wife, Anaida Poilievre, in a brand new blue Corvette.

Poilievre finished the day addressing an overflowing crowd at a rally in nearby Penticton, where he touted pledges including tax cuts, clamping down on crime, investing in skilled trades and creating a “blue seal,” similar to the Red Seal program, with the aim of reducing barriers for health professionals trained outside Canada.

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A Conservative government would “build a new economic fortress that is strong enough to resist any interference or tariffs from the Americans,” he said.

Poilievre said it was “no wonder” Donald Trump said it would be “easier to deal” with a Liberal government as the U.S. president continues his tariff measures.

“He wants them in power because that will keep Canada’s economy weak. He wants to drive all the money out of our country and into his hands keep us dependent on him,” the Conservative leader said.

“Well, Donald Trump doesn’t get to pick our next prime minister. Canadians do, and they want to put Canada first for a change,” he said, sparking cheers from the crowd.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 5, 2025.