Prince George, B.C. – Skeena-Bulkley MP Nathan Cullen has introduced his private members bill calling for a ban on supertankers from the northwest coast of B.C.

The bill has three main components says Cullen with the primary and strongest piece of the bill being the tanker ban, but he says it will also increase the power of local voices “As we experienced through the Gateway hearings, regardless of what people said on the ground and how powerful that was in terms of number and passion, the NEB (National Energy Board) is not really instructed to take that into account and didn’t.”

The third piece of the bill which Cullen says has been the most controversial, Is around the regulator, and also takes into account the product that ‘s being shipped in the pipeline and what that impact is on jobs in Canada. “It doesn’t force the development of refineries, it just finally brings it into the mix because right now, as the law is written, the Government of Canada doesn’t really care what product is being shipped and it doesn’t factor into a decision in any meaningful way, and we think that should be part of the conversation whether a product is being shipped raw, or it’s something that has value added to it.”

Cullen says there are three ways to stop Northern Gateway’s proposed twin pipeline project “One is in the courts and that’s being done, the second one is now in Parliament through this bill, and   lastly will be the ballot box in 2015.”

The next opportunity to debate the bill will be in the new year, “Then quickly following that first and second hour of debate comes the vote . That vote is the critical first step for us” says Cullen “and that’s why I’m taking this bill on the road and engaging media and social media ‘cause I believe there is a fair chance we can get the bill to committee, have it studied, have its impacts understood, and move from there, bring in experts and see what changes if any need to be made. I’m very open to the idea by the way that this is about consultation and trying to engage people and see what we have here and any improvements that need to be made.”

Cullen may find   time is not his side. There is growing speculation that with the trial dates set for Mike Duffy over the Senator payment scandal, the Harper government will want to head to the polls before risking being implicated in that court proceeding. That would mean an election would be called for March and Cullen’s bill could die on the table “it would make for a very difficult time line for me. There is a possibility within the rules of parliament to fast track a bill if there is support this would unlikely be one of those types of bills I will admit, but hope springs eternal.” He says speculation about early elections tends not to manifest “Jack Layton used to say it’s hard for the government to leave those limos willingly, they tend to hang on to the last possible moment, and that would be my guess.”

Cullen will be criss- crossing the province to   discuss the bill, starting with a public session in Prince Rupert on the 14^th of October, Kitimat on the 15^th , Terrace on October 16^th and Smithers on the 17^th. He says he may well visit 20-25 communities before wrapping up his trip.