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
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.