Prince George, B.C. – Federal NDP MP Nathan Cullen is shocked following Sunday’s vote against the leadership of Thomas Mulcair and the call for a leadership race within the next two years.

The vote came at the conclusion of the New Democratic Party’s weekend convention in Edmonton.  Asked if the party should hold a leadership convention just over half of the 1,500 delegates,  52 percent,  responded yes, in effect dealing a death blow to Mulcair at the helm of the party.

Reached at the Edmonton airport Cullen, who had supported Mulcair, told 250 News “I’m quite shocked, I didn’t see it going this way but members always have that power and that voice.”  When the vote result was announced the convention room went noticeably silent as delegates comprehended what had just happened.  Cullen says “often in a convention you’ll have an issue and people will debate it and one side or the other side will win and then that’s a celebration.  But that’s not this kind of vote so there’s no real celebration, it’s just a, it’s very sobering.”

Figuring out which way the leadership vote was going to go was difficult, according to the MP.  “I couldn’t really tell to be honest.  I thought Tom did a great speech, but I couldn’t read the room.  I kept trying to guess but I was unable to really see what it was that was going to come out the other end.  It was quite unpredictable and I think that was true for a lot of people.”

The slim 52% opposition to Mulcair’s leadership would seem to signify a split in the membership but the Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP says “no, I wouldn’t think so.  I mean this is an opinion about our future and when Tom said he was going to continue on, there was a huge applause because we know that our job is to work for Canadians and keep this government to account.  So that will continue and the leadership process will unfold.”

The question asked of delegates was whether they supported a leadership convention in one year.  Subsequent to the vote result the United Steelworkers proposed that the period be expanded to 24 months.  Cullen says “it just gives the executive more room to choose, it’s a technicality but just in our constitution it’s mandated and so to have an exception to that constitution to give the executive of our party more flexibility that motion was passed.  So it (leadership convention) could be anywhere between 12 and 24 (months).”

Cullen says he doesn’t see a fractured party heading into a leadership convention.  “I think this party is united and will be.  Again people, even folks voting against Tom, were very respectful and you could see that in his concession speech with the response that there was no issue that was dividing us.  And I think we come out of this, as disappointing as it is for many folks, incredibly focussed on the re-build, the understanding of what happened last campaign and then ready to take the government on while our caucus is in parliament tomorrow morning.”

Asked whether he has given any thoughts to a possible leadership run in the wake of this vote result, Cullen says “no it’s still absorbing this decision and headed back to Ottawa because I’ve got to go to work tomorrow morning, and that’s my primary focus right now.”

Cullen says yes, shock is an appropriate word to describe how he is feeling and adds “I am quite surprised but also accepting of that result and ready to work with a caucus to keep the work going.”