First Nations Tell Aaron Gunn: ‘Chillax, Bud’

Mar. 12, 2026

The MP denounced land acknowledgements Tuesday. By Wednesday, the response had gone viral. A Tyee Q&A with Hegus John Hackett.

Four First Nations with territories in Aaron Gunn’s North Island–Powell River riding had a message for the Conservative MP last night: “Chillax, bud.”

On Tuesday, Gunn posted a brief statement to Facebook: “If the federal government truly believes in the private property rights of Canadians, they should probably stop opening every public meeting by proclaiming the gathering on the ‘unceded territory’ of this or that First Nation.

“Doing so reinforces the radical and dangerous legal concept that most Canadians live on ‘stolen land.’ This is Canada. One country. For all Canadians,” he wrote.

By the following evening, the Tla’amin, Klahoose, K’ómoks and Homalco Nations had issued a joint rejoinder, characterizing Gunn’s Facebook post as a “crash out.”

“Land acknowledgements have never seized private property, cancelled a mortgage, repossessed a pickup truck, or altered a single title deed anywhere in Canada,” the Nations’ statement said.

“They are simply people recognizing the history of the place where they are standing.”

The statement, posted around 7 p.m. Wednesday, had racked up over 3,000 reactions and shares and over 140 comments by Thursday morning.

During last year’s election, Gunn found himself in hot water for resurfaced social media posts denying that Canada participated in a genocide against Indigenous Peoples. First Nations leaders, including the First Nations Leadership Council, called on the Conservative Party to drop him as a candidate. (He later posted a statement to X saying, in part, “I have always been firm in recognizing the truly horrific events that transpired in residential schools, and any attempt to suggest otherwise is simply false.”)

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre defended Gunn at the time, saying, “he’s not denied the impact of residential schools… in fact he has said he wants to continue to condemn the residential schools and build stronger partnerships with First Nations people to unlock our resources.”

Gunn’s candidacy drew a grassroots Stop the Split campaign and inspired one Powell River resident to hand-paint and post “Drop the Gunn, Choose Respect” signs, adorned with red dresses, in the riding.

Though he skipped all-candidates meetings and skirted most public appearances in favour of private and registration-only events in the run-up to the election, Gunn beat the NDP and Liberal candidates and took the MP seat in North Island–Powell River.

The Tyee contacted Aaron Gunn for comment Wednesday evening. The Tyee also asked Gunn what steps he’d taken as MP to foster relationships with the Tla’amin, Klahoose, K’ómoks and Homalco Nations. The Tyee also asked the Klahoose, K’ómoks and Homalco Nations for comment.

On Thursday, Gunn posted a statement on Facebook, saying that his opposition to land acknowledgements is no laughing matter.

“It’s unfortunate to see a number of bands making light of what is an extremely divisive time in our politics,” he wrote. “For the first time in our history, homeowners are receiving official letters from the government informing them that their home may no longer belong to them. This is not hyperbole; it’s real, and as a Member of Parliament, it is my duty to stand up for my constituents and their rights.”

Gunn was referring to a letter sent to resident by the mayor of Richmond, B.C. following a court decision that found the Cowichan First Nation’s Aboriginal title had never been extinguished for a portion of Lulu Island in Richmond. Although legal experts and the Cowichan have said the court decision won’t affect existing property holders, politicians from across the political spectrum have expressed alarm at the implications of the court decision.

Hegus John Hackett of the Tla’amin Nation responded to questions emailed from The Tyee Wednesday night. The following interview has been lightly edited.

The Tyee: Why did it feel important to respond to Aaron Gunn’s Facebook post about land acknowledgements?

Hegus John Hackett: Although we put in our statement that land acknowledgements are harmless, they are in fact an important part of Coast Salish protocol. It’s proper to introduce ourselves and acknowledge the lands we are on. A group of us Tla’amin met with our citizens in Vancouver a couple of weeks ago and we opened our business with a territorial acknowledgement for our Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh brothers and sisters. These practices of acknowledgement and expressing gratitude are shared with us from a really young age.

It’s been so encouraging to see our neighbours and the broader public pick up this practice which has been carried out forever in this place. It acknowledges the land as our equal and prioritizes relationships with one another as the business we establish before all others.

It’s important to note that we do not require anyone to follow our traditions, but we will always speak out when someone accidentally or intentionally demeans our culture and our history.

Happily, this rarely happens, as our neighbours and the broader public are picking up this protocol and practice in ever greater numbers.

Why did the Tla’amin, K’ómoks, Klahoose and Homalco Nations choose to respond in a light-hearted manner? I’m wondering if this moment was a bit of a pressure valve release for some of the related tensions that have cropped up since Gunn began his run-up to the election?

Humour is our way of life; our community members have been through a lot and humour has always been an effective way to shift power. I mean we’ve been here over 10,000 years, continuously, and then this one guy strolls into our territory, essentially crashing out in this public manner, it’s very unserious.

But the consequences of the MP’s words are serious. His statements about land acknowledgements are intended to turn the clock backwards on the relationships that we have worked hard to create. To a time when our people were stuck on reserves, not seen, not heard and not considered.

His words threaten to disrupt relationships we have carefully nurtured with our neighbours and friends, dividing us all through his social media rants.

Gunn’s one-off comments have a cumulative effect. They whip up latent fears and insecurities that some members of the broader community have, all for attention and political gain. The behaviour and comments are unbecoming for the office of an MP.

I guess we think humour is the best way to defuse the situation and remind us the sky is not falling and not to take ourselves too seriously.

Has Gunn fostered a relationship with the Tla’amin Nation, in the way that one would expect of the riding’s MP?

Aaron Gunn is the invisible MP as far as the Tla’amin Nation is concerned. We are the constituents he pays no attention to. The most contact we have had came from a staffer who asked our Nation to participate in a documentary. We said we’d participate on condition that he walk back his comments about Indian Residential Schools and make it right with our Elders. We have not heard from his office since. 

[Top photo:Land acknowledgements ‘reinforce the radical and dangerous legal concept that most Canadians live on “stolen land,”’ wrote MP Aaron Gunn. Photo via Facebook. Collage by The Tyee.]