VICTORIA — Vancouver Island MP Aaron Gunn said he won’t run for the leadership of the Conservative Party of B.C. because he doesn’t want to risk giving the federal Liberals a majority government.
Gunn said Wednesday that his departure could “upend the balance of power in Ottawa” and leaving would be too great a risk as Prime Minister Mark Carney continues to pursue a “deliberate and transparent strategy to bribe or otherwise convince morally bankrupt MPs” to cross the floor.
He added that he doesn’t want give some media and the federal Liberals an opportunity to “spin” his departure as a “loss of confidence” or “worse, a betrayal” in the leadership of federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
The decision will ripple across the political landscape of British Columbia, where provincial Conservatives are searching for a new leader and some stability after a year of turmoil.
Many considered Gunn a front-runner to replace John Rustad, who resigned Dec. 4. amid pressure from more than half his caucus. In October last year, Rustad came close to winning the provincial election.
However, Gunn said he can best serve the interests of his constituents and Canada by remaining the MP for the riding of North Island — Powell River.
Two recent floor-crossings by Conservative MPs have left the federal Liberals one short of a majority government.
Speaking in a video posted on X, Gunn said the decision not to run was the “toughest” of his life because thousands had urged him to run, and he shares their concerns about the direction of the province under Premier David Eby.
David Black, associate professor in communication and culture at Royal Roads University in Greater Victoria, said would-be candidates have been waiting on Gunn to make his decision.
Black pointed to Conservative member of the legislature Harman Bhangu, whom he sees running as the populist candidate.
“It certainly opens space for him,” Black said.
Bhangu said on social media this month that he would not “run against a friend” if Gunn were to seek the leadership.
“But if Aaron chooses not to run, then I will be putting my name forward and fighting every single day to defeat the NDP and deliver a stronger, safer, more prosperous British Columbia.”
UBC political science lecturer Stewart Prest agreed that contenders have been waiting on Gunn.
Prest said Gunn’s decision positions Bhangu and commentator Caroline Elliott as choices for the populist-social conservative wing of the party.
Prest said he also expects former B.C. Liberal cabinet minister Iain Black to be the “champion of more centrist conservatism.”
Other names linked to the moderate section of the party include Conservative MLA Peter Milobar, while Black sees former grocery executive Darrell Jones as the classical outsider.
Other names linked to a possible leadership run include former federal Conservative MP, entrepreneur Yuri Fulmer, and Chris Gardner, President of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association.
“So, I think we are in the dating stage with respect to this leadership race, where people are kind of like, ‘I might run, what do you think?’”
Black said the NDP under Premier David Eby might have liked Gunn as leader, because it would have allowed the New Democrats into the middle.
The First Nations Leadership Council, representing most nations in the B.C., called on the Conservative Party of Canada to drop Gunn as a candidate in the federal election last April.
The council said Gunn made “horrific and offensive posts on X between 2019 and 2021 refuting that Indigenous people faced genocide in Canada.”
“Such attitudes are extremely harmful and divisive and should not be held by those in public office,” the statement said.
Poilievre posted on X after Gunn released his video that the MP had decided to stay on to fight for an affordable, safe and hopeful B.C. and Canada.
“He is a great Canadian patriot with a brilliant future,” the post said.
Black said the dilemma facing the Conservative Party of B.C. now is to reconcile the moderate and the populists, and nobody who can play that role has stepped forward yet.
Prest said the same divides that existed under Rustad’s leadership are still there and will be just as difficult to manage.
Prest said the race to replace Rustad is “wide open” after Gunn’s announcement, but see the energy with the populists.
“So unless (Iain) Black or another moderate galvanizes that faction, I suspect it will come down to a contest between Elliott and Bhangu to win out as champion of the more populist voices.”
Gunn said he “will continue to fight relentlessly” in Ottawa, while also looking for a “partner here in B.C.” that will allow federal Conservatives to continue building Canada.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 24, 2025.
Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press
