B.C. Liberals deny leadership bid by Aaron Gunn for views 'inconsistent' with party

A prospective candidate for leadership of British Columbia's Liberal party has been denied the opportunity to officially enter the race.
Party officials say Aaron Gunn's application to enter the contest was rejected on grounds that approving his candidacy would be inconsistent with the Liberal party's commitment to reconciliation, diversity and acceptance of all people in B.C.
Roxanne Helme, chair of the B.C. Liberal Party Leadership Election Organizing Committee, and party president Paul Barbeau issued a joint statement declining to approve Gunn's candidacy.
It says the decision was made after a review of public and private comments attributed to Gunn on social media and the opportunities granted to him to respond to concerns raised by the statements.
Gunn posted on social media Friday that free speech is no longer welcome in the Liberal party, adding his fight has just begun.
Leadership candidate Michael Lee said on social media that he welcomed the rejection of Gunn's candidacy, while legislature member Ellis Ross, who is also running, disagreed, saying in a statement on Twitter that the decision should have been made by “the voting members of the B.C. Liberal Party.”
A statement on Gunn's Twitter page said: “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 B.C. Liberal Party.”
He could not be reached for comment, but Gunn recently told the Vancouver Sun there was no basis for concern about his comments.
“I am very outspoken, but when you drill down to it, some of these rumours that come out have no basis. Some people have accused me of these things, but they can't really point to something specific because it's not really there,” he told the newspaper.
Six candidates, including Gavin Dew, Kevin Falcon, Val Litwin, Renee Merrifield, Ross and Lee, are in the race to elect a new leader on Feb. 5.
In the statement, Barbeau said the party's executive unanimously accepted the recommendation from the leadership election organizing committee on Gunn's candidate application.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How more than 100 women realized they may have dated, been deceived by the same man
An Ontario man is being accused of changing his name, profession and life story multiple times to potentially more than 100 women online before leaving some out thousands of dollars.

Mother charged with sexual abuse of toddler in Edmonton area after FBI tip
A Strathcona County toddler has been rescued from suspected sexual exploitation, and the child's mother has been charged, police said.
LeBron James becomes NBA's all-time scoring leader, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
LeBron James is the NBA's new career scoring leader. With a stepback jump shot with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, James pushed his career total to 38,388 points on Tuesday night and broke the record that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held for nearly four decades.
Biden in State of Union urges U.S. Congress: 'Finish the job'
U.S. President Joe Biden exhorted Congress Tuesday night to work with him to 'finish the job' of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation as he delivered a State of the Union address aimed at reassuring a country beset by pessimism and fraught political divisions.
Fears grow for untold numbers buried by Turkiye earthquake as deaths pass 7,700
Rescuers raced against time early Wednesday to pull survivors from the rubble before they succumbed to cold weather two days after an earthquake tore through southern Turkiye and war-ravaged northern Syria. The death toll climbed above 7,700 and was expected to rise further.
Canadian military plane heads home after two surveillance flights over Haiti
A Canadian Armed Forces surveillance plane was heading home on Tuesday after two intelligence-collecting flights over Haiti.
On list of 50 'most Instagrammable' places, only 1 is in Canada
A new ranking by global travel site Big 7 Travel has revealed the most Instagrammable places for people to visit in 2023, but only one Canadian location, Banff, is among them.
Spy balloon part of a broader Chinese military surveillance operation, U.S. intel sources tell CNN
U.S. intelligence officials believe that the recently recovered Chinese spy balloon is part of an extensive surveillance program run by the Chinese military, according to multiple American officials familiar with the intelligence.
From $55 to $130: Which Canadians plan to spend the most this Valentine's Day?
As Valentine's Day approaches, many Canadians are preparing to celebrate by taking their loved ones to dinner and buying them gifts, but how much are we spending on this day coast to coast?