5 days ago
Swift News
North Island–Powell River MP Aaron Gunn has ruled himself out of seeking the leadership of the B.C. Conservative Party. “While the risk is small that my departure could upend the balance of power in Ottawa and give the Liberals that majority government, any risk is too great a risk for me,” Gunn said in a press release on Dec. 24. “I must put my constituents first.” Gunn first hinted at the possibility of running in early December, posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, that people had reached out to him encouraging him to seek leadership and become the next Premier of British Columbia.
That announcement came after John Rustad’s forced resignation from the party, following a legal letter signed by 20 party MLAs expressing their loss of confidence in their leader. Rustad refused to step down until his ouster was forced when a caucus meeting without him led to a non-confidence vote against him and the endorsement of Trevor Halford as interim leader. Rustad stepped down the next day. Gunn announced he would make his decision before Christmas. Despite his decision not to run, Gunn says he will play a role in the race. “I commit to you that I will not be silent in this process. Thousands of people have contacted me, looking for a movement to join that will represent their voice.”