Poilievre stands by B.C. candidate called out for residential school posts

Brenna Owen · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 05, 2025 5:45 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

WARNING: This communicative contains details of experiences astatine residential schools.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is lasting by a British Columbia campaigner arsenic calls equine for him to beryllium removed implicit past comments helium made astir the past of Canada's residential schools.

Poilievre told a quality league successful Osoyoos, B.C., Saturday that accusations astir North Island-Powell River campaigner Aaron Gunn are "misinformation."

He said Gunn "has not denied the interaction of residential schools" and alternatively wants to condemn the government-sponsored strategy that removed much than 150,000 Indigenous children from their families, with the past instauration closing successful 1996.

Poilievre said Gunn wants to "build stronger partnerships with First Nations radical to unlock our resources truthful that we tin nutrient unthinkable wage cheques and opportunities" for Indigenous communities across B.C.

In videos and statements posted connected societal media successful 2019 and 2021, Gunn said Canada's residential school system did not represent genocide and that the schools are "much-maligned."

One of Gunn's posts on X, formerly known arsenic Twitter, besides stated that "residential schools were asked for by Indigenous bands." 

Numerous First Nations leaders and groups, as good arsenic municipal politicians in B.C., person condemned Gunn's comments and called for his removal, including the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs and the B.C. First Nations Leadership Council.
 

Poilievre said the Conservatives are the lone enactment offering a "bright future" for First Nations by spurring assets improvement that volition bring wealth and opportunities to communities.

The Conservative person said helium would bring successful a "First Nations assets charge," allowing companies to wage taxes straight to communities truthful they tin person "incredible prosperity." 

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

It concluded the schools were intended for taste genocide, saying they were a systematic "attempt to destruct Aboriginal cultures and languages and to assimilate Aboriginal peoples truthful that they nary longer existed arsenic chiseled peoples."

The House of Commons unanimously passed a question successful 2022 recognizing Canada's residential schools arsenic genocide. The question was passed aft Pope Francis described residential schools arsenic such after his sojourn to Canada successful July 2022. 

Gunn issued a connection connected X connected Thursday saying helium has "always been steadfast successful recognizing the genuinely horrific events that transpired successful residential schools, and immoderate effort to suggest different is simply false."

I’d similar to wide up what has been said today.<br><br>I person ever been steadfast successful recognizing the genuinely horrific events that transpired successful residential schools, and immoderate effort to suggest different is simply false.<br><br>I person ne'er wavered successful condemning these institutions of abuse, where…

At the run halt successful Osoyoos, Poilievre besides promised to chopped bureaucratic reddish portion by 25 per cent successful 2 years, portion of his program for a "two-for-one" instrumentality that mandates 2 regulations beryllium repealed for each caller 1 that is brought in.

He said the program would besides necessitate that for each dollar successful caller administrative costs, 2 dollars indispensable beryllium chopped elsewhere to easiness the burden.

A nationalist 24-hour Indian Residential School Crisis Line is disposable astatine 1-866-925-4419 for affectional and situation referral services for survivors and those affected. 

Mental wellness counselling and situation enactment are besides disposable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week done the Hope for Wellness hotline astatine 1-855-242-3310 oregon by online chat.