Federal Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn held a True North Strong and Free election rally in Campbell River Thursday night that drew about 200 attendees.

Introducing Gunn, City Councillor Ben Lanyon said the riding is on the verge of a golden era.

B次元官网网址淲e need to make sure we end the litany of Liberal lies once and for all, and then, have a trifecta of municipal conservatives, provincial conservatives, and federal conservatives all advocating at the same time with the same message for this area,B次元官网网址� Lanyon said.

During his speech to the enthusiastic crowd, Gunn mentioned on one occasion, in passing, the crippling 25 per cent tariffs U.S. President Donald Trump imposed (and subsequently delayed, in part) on most Canadian goods.

Instead, Gunn stuck to the core messaging of federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, taking aim at Liberal, and provincial and federal NDP policies as attacks on Canadian resource workers and the economy.

The carbon tax, inflation, the budget deficit, getting tough on crime, and eliminating safe supply to deal with the toxic drug crisis also got top billing and applause, as did more support for the military, veterans, and gun owners.

Traditionally, the North Island-Powell River ridingB次元官网网址檚 economy was resource dependent. However, construction, trades, tourism, service, health and education jobs are outpacing sectors like fishing and forestry, which have suffered dramatic declines. Regardless, the resource economy still makes up 20 per cent of jobs in North Island communities and 13 per cent in the Campbell River region.

Gunn accused the Liberals and NDP of B次元官网网址渂lind allegiance to a green agendaB次元官网网址� at the expense of the fishing, forestry and aquaculture sector in the riding, and said resource workers were being sacrificed on the altar of environmental B次元官网网址渆xtremism.B次元官网网址�

Gunn, echoing both Poilievre and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, backed the rapid building of oil and gas pipelines to eastern Canada as a solution to energy independence and less reliance on the United States. The failure to do so by previous governments has left Canada poorer and weaker, he argued, making his only direct reference to the trade tariffs.

B次元官网网址淸WeB次元官网网址檙e] certainly more unprepared for these unjustified and targeted tariffs that have been now placed against us by the United States at a time where we could use our energy independence and energy security more than ever before.B次元官网网址�

Gunn didnB次元官网网址檛 reference the staggering tariffs Canadian softwood lumber producers are facing or lay out how he and his party would address them to protect the forestry sector in the North Island.

In place since 2015, softwood lumber duties currently at 14.5 per cent, as a U.S. imposed B次元官网网址渁nti-dumpingB次元官网网址� measure, now face the additional 25 per cent Trump tariff slapped on top. The U.S. Department of Commerce is also suggesting it will nearly double existing duties, leaving the already struggling logging industry facing an existential crisis.

The Conservative party promotes a B次元官网网址渨arrior not wokeB次元官网网址� culture and will take better care of veterans, prioritize defence of the Arctic, and meet the North Atlantic Treaty OrganizationB次元官网网址檚 military funding benchmark of two per cent of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 gross domestic product (GDP), Gunn said.

B次元官网网址淥ur armed forces is under-equipped right now, underfunded, and so entangled in the woke policies that are being pushed down on them from Ottawa,B次元官网网址� Gunn said.

B次元官网网址淲hat the military should be doing is focusing on national security, national defence and protecting Canada's interest.B次元官网网址�

Echoing the purges that have been made across U.S. departments in the weeks since Trump took office, Gunn railed against diversity, equity and inclusion policies in government hiring.

B次元官网网址淚f you want to play your little woke experiments, that should be the last place that they should be done. We should be taking the best people to do the job.B次元官网网址�

TrumpB次元官网网址檚 name did come up at the rally when a woman, expressing concerns around transgender issues, asked Gunn if the Conservatives would follow the U.S. presidentB次元官网网址檚 lead in declaring only two genders: male and female.

Gunn noted Poilievre had already done so.

B次元官网网址淟ike Pierre said, it's a confusing question; I don't even know what other genders there are,B次元官网网址� he said.

He also promised Conservatives would restore CanadiansB次元官网网址� pride in their history and figures like former Prime Minister John A. Macdonald.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 time to stop tearing down statues, to stop gutting our museums and to be proud to be Canadian, and have our history once again.B次元官网网址�