Conservative MP Gunn Rules Out BC Conservative Leadership Bid, Citing Risk of a Federal Liberal Majority

Conservative MP for North Island-Powell River Aaron Gunn rises during Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Nov. 26, 2025. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Conservative MP Aaron Gunn has announced he will not pursue the leadership of the B.C. Conservative Party, saying he doesn’t want to risk the Liberals gaining a majority government.

Gunn announced earlier this month that he was “seriously considering” a bid for the leadership of the B.C. Conservative Party following John Rustad’s resignation from the position on Dec. 4, and promised to make a decision before Christmas after seeking public input.

Gunn, a rookie MP for B.C.’s North Island—Powell River, said in a Dec. 24 video the choice not to seek the provincial party’s leadership has been the “toughest decision” of his life, but added it is what he believes is best for his constituents and Canada.

“[Prime Minister] Mark Carney has pursued a deliberate and transparent strategy to bribe or otherwise convince morally bankrupt MPs to cross the floor with an aim of achieving an undemocratic majority government, a government that Canadians didn’t vote for,” Gunn said. “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.”

Two Tory MPs have crossed the floor to join the Liberal caucus. Chris d'Entremont made the transition to the Liberals last month, followed by Michael Ma on Dec. 11. The change increases the Liberal seat count to 171, leaving them just one seat shy of a majority government.

Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux has also announced that he plans to resign from Parliament by the spring.

Gunn said the second reason for his decision not to run for leadership of the B.C. Conservatives is that there has been an “orchestrated attempt” by some in the media and the Liberal Party to harm the leadership of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. He said his departure could feed into efforts to increase the perception of problems with Poilievre’s leadership.

“The media and Liberals would attempt to spin my departure as some sort of loss of confidence in Pierre, or worse, a betrayal—a fact that would undermine his leadership and our Conservative vision that I believe is so essential for this country,” Gunn said.

Gunn added that while he feels he can best serve the country by remaining as a federal MP, he will “not be silent” during the leadership race and will be “looking for a partner here in B.C. that we can work with to continue building this incredible country.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney praised d'Entremont and Ma for their decision to leave the Conservatives.

“Proud to welcome Michael Ma to our team tonight,” Carney posted on X Dec. 11, the day Ma announced he was crossing the floor. “Look forward to working together to build our country, protect our communities, and create more opportunities for the people of Markham-Unionville and all across Canada.”

The Liberal Party posted follow-up congratulations to Ma Dec. 12, saying Canada is in a “hinge” moment that needs the “serious solutions” being offered by the Carney government.

A month prior, Carney called d‘Entremont’s decision to join the Liberals “exceptionally valuable, important” during a ”crucial moment for our country.” The Liberals had just tabled their budget on Nov. 4, the same day of d’Entremont’s announcement. D'Entremont said he wanted to support the Carney government’s budget and didn’t see how he could help solve issues important to the communities he represents by sitting with the Opposition.

BC Conservatives

Gunn is a former reservist in the Canadian Armed Forces and documentary filmmaker who previously worked for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

He ran to lead B.C.’s former primary centre-right party, the B.C. Liberal Party, in 2021 but was ruled out as a leadership candidate by the party’s leadership election organizing committee after it said several opinions Gunn had posted on social media were contrary to party values.

Gunn subsequently founded an advocacy group called Common Sense B.C. focused on providing a conservative policy alternative to the B.C. Liberal Party, who Gunn said were no longer in favour of free speech. He helped to rebrand the provincial Conservative Party, while several members of Common Sense B.C. were elected to the B.C. Conservative Party’s board.

Former B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad was also removed from the B.C. Liberal Party caucus in August 2022 due to reposting a social media statement that was skeptical about human-caused climate change, and became the B.C. Conservative Party’s new leader in March 2023.

In 2023, Gunn decided to pursue federal politics and won the nomination to run as a federal Conservative candidate for the constituency of North Island—Powell River. He won the riding with 38.8 percent of the vote, ahead of the NDP’s Tanille Johnston at 32.6 percent and Liberal Jennifer Lash at 26 percent.

For his part, Rustad led the party to winning 44 seats in B.C.’s 2024 provincial election, the only seats Conservatives had held since 1975, and becoming the Official Opposition.

Since last year’s election, two MLAs have been expelled from the party, while three have left, leaving the B.C. Conservatives with 39 seats compared to the governing NDP’s 47 seats, the Green Party’s two, and five seats held by independents.

Rustad resigned as B.C. Conservative Party leader on Dec. 4, the day after the party issued a statement saying it no longer had confidence in him. Surrey-White Rock MLA Trevor Halford is currently serving as interim leader, with a party leadership election expected to be held early in the new year.

Halford has said he does not plan to run to lead the party.